Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters
by Linkonpark100
Summary: An AU. All I can say is that The Mane Six got nothing on them!
1. The Dragon's Code

**Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Dragon's Code**

Sebastian Silverstone sat on the bench by the docks, metal music blaring into his headphones while playing his portable video game. A duffel bag was placed beside him on the bench while his backpack was leaning onto his leg. Most of the mice that passed by looked at him rather strangely. He didn't mind though. He was a completely different from the rest of them.

He was a human.

Yes. He was pretty much the only one of his kind that lived in this world of anthropomorphic mice. Why? His parents said so. They merely told him to move there. Nothing else. It was a really huge mystery to him. One that would be stuck in his mind.

Well, only stuck at the back.

There was no reason to question their decision. He trusted their decision because he loved them dearly. While there was going to be a sense of homesickness, he'll still be alright. Maybe there could be interspecies harmony between these the humans and the mice.

If only he knew, though.

His appearance did not really help make the stares leave. He was dressed up as a gothic punk, complete with his wavy black hair having white dye on his bangs. One that would be scorned upon the public. Especially the accessories. However, he was by no means a bad person. So he may be lazy, always seemed to have bruises after fights or maybe smoke...

...yeah, it really isn't making him look good.

He wondered if Mouseford Academy allows students to smoke. He is attending a rather prestigious private college so there were bound to be rules. He bends them, but never breaks them. Then another thought came to his mind. Do they have a martial arts club? He's a fighter, but a rather skilled one. While he's considered to be an expert in boxing, there are several more martial arts he was still willing to learn.

And studying...

"Eh..." He found it rather tiresome. Then again, that's what he had done in his school days. It wasn't new. It was old. Really old. But this is college. Maybe there was something bound to be exciting?

He doubted it.

Having the need to rub his ears, he placed his headphones over his neck after pausing his playlist.

"'Scuse me?"

He looked to see where that voice came from. He looked up to see a mouselet in front of him. She had auburn hair that were tied into pig tails and had a hat. Her outfit consisted a short, blank, orange shirt and a green short jacket that covered her grey furry body. She wore brown pants that had zig-zag stitches on them. She also carried a red fanny pack. Her eyes were green.

"Is anyone sitting there?"she asked.

Seba shook his head before placing his duffel bag on the ground beside his feet. "Knock yourself out." he said, offering the space to her.

She smiled and nodded in gratitude, sitting next to him as she placed her luggage right in front.

"You goin' to Mouseford Academy too?" she asked, trying to start conversation with him.

"Yeah. Probably going to be the first human to ever graduate from there." he said.

"So that's what you are," she muttered. She probably needed to check up on humans. "I'm Nicky. You can call me Nic if you want," she said, offering a handshake (on in her case, a pawshake). "If we're gonna be future classmates, we should get to know each other."

She's got a point there. He's gonna need some friends to make it through the years. Besides, she looks like a really nice girl. "I'm Sebastian. Seba for short." the human boy replied, returning her handshake.

"That's a pretty cool name." she remarked.

"Thanks," he replied before adding his two cents. "Nice stetson, by the way."

Nicky smiled. "Thanks. I've gotten used to wearing it back where I'm from."

"Where are you from?" Seba asked. The accent really sounded quite familiar.

"I'm from Australia, the great outback." she answered.

"Ah, I see." Seba replied. That explained the stetson and the accent. "I thought that the weather in Australia is cold there."

She shrugged. "The weather can be unpredictable, so I wear my hat in case if it's hot."

"And when it's not?" he asked.

"I still wear it. It's quite comfy when you're used to it." Nicky answered.

"Can't compare with that," he shrugged. "I think they're more underrated than fedoras."

Nicky rolled her eyes. "Are you seriously comparing a stetson to one of the most overused hats ever?"

"You have to admit, 90% of fedora users are scumbags nowadays." Seba remarked.

"Which is why the fedora has become somewhat of a stigma in the fashion world." A voice interjected.

Seba and Nicky turned to see someone walking towards them. She wore a pink jacket with beads on it, a blue turtle neck, long pink pants and a blue belt. She had light brown fur, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. She carried a small blue and pink heart-shaped purse. What made both Seba and Nicky's eyes widen was that she had a mountain of luggage right behind her.

"That's quite a lot of luggage you have there." Nicky muttered.

The girl flipped her hair as she smiled at them. "I need to bring an appropriate outfit when the situation fits."

"Well, do you have an outfit that can exterminate the fedora jerks?" Seba asked, his snark quite apparent.

She rolled her eyes as she smiled. "Ha ha. Very funny," she remarked as she sat next to Nicky, causing Seba to scoot over. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Colette." she offered a pawshake to them.

"I'm Nicky," the Australian girl introduced as she accepted the pawshake. "That's Seba."

"Yo." was all the goth boy said as he shook Colette's paw.

"By the way, where did you get that outfit?" she asked, looking up and down at Seba.

"This?" he gestured. "I got this personally designed." There's quite a backstory to that, but that's for another time.

"It is trés chic!" she exclaimed, confirming their suspicions that she was French. "I've never seen something so dark and stylish at the same time."

"Thanks," Seba replied with a rather small smile. "You can't get this from any cheap store."

Colette nodded in agreement. "Good fashion doesn't come by so easily. You'll find something rare to be worth the price."

"Thank goodness my stetson's not for sale." Nicky sighed in relief.

"I can assume that one of your parents gave you that hat?" Seba asked.

Nicky shrugged and smiled. "Yep! Passed right down from many generations."

"Now that's a story I'd like to hear." A new voice remarked.

Heads turned and they saw another mouselet. She had dark brown fur that seemed to contrast with Colette's light brown fur. She has brown eyes and dark brown curly hair. She wore a red turtleneck sweater and olive-green cargo pants. Her hair was held back by a thick, striped, yellow headband. Unlike Colette and like the two, she had simple luggage.

"Is this the stop to Whale Island?" she asked. All of them nodded. "Cool. I've had a really long trip from my home in Tanzania. Thank goodness for the lack of jetlag."

"Oui. It feels like I'm faraway from my home in France." Colette remarked.

"So you're from France? I guess the accent was a dead giveaway." Nicky said.

"Really? I thought that she was from the Quebec." Seba replied.

Colette shook her head. "Their accent isn't as thick as mine."

He shrugged. That's a fair point. He looked at the Tanzanian mouselet. "Still, from Africa to America? Long way from home here. Like what? Thirty plus hours?"

"Eh, way longer. I became less worried after sleeping through the trip since all there was were clouds," She shrugged. "Name's Pamela, by the way."

"I'm Nicky. This is Colette and Seba."

"Seba? What kind of a name is that?" Pamela asked.

"It's short for Sebastian." the boy answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"You have to admit, it's an odd name." Nicky said.

"I think that it's quite an exquisite name," Colette admitted. "At least it gives some sort of identity."

Seba shrugged. "It's a name. That's something, right?" Suddenly, he realized that his handheld video game overheated and crashed. "My video game!" He tried to turn it on several times, but there would be errors. "Aww...now what am I supposed to do on my off-days?"

Pamela looked at the console. "I think I can fix it."

He looked at her. "You can?"

She gave a grin. "Of course I can! When we get to the academy, I'll fix it in no time."

Looking at his video game, he gave it to her. "I trust you."

"Makes me even more determined to fix it." she remarked.

"Um, excuse me." a soft voice called out. Everyone looked to see yet another mouselet right in front of them. She had grey fur and black eyes. Her hair was dark blue and tied in one long braid. Her outfit was a long orange dress with dark grey pants. "Is this where we'll be going to Whale Island?"

"Yep." Seba answered. "You're studying there too?"

She nodded. "I heard that it's a pretty good college there, so maybe I can further my studies there."

"Oui. I really hope that it lives up to it's prestige." Colette remarked. "I heard that it's quite an exciting place there to study."

The others nodded in agreement. Mouseford Academy had a really long and wild history. While there were downs, there were also ups as well. About a hundred alumni that have graduated from the academy each year would go on to earn successful careers.

Seba wondered if he could become an award-winning comic book writer? Nah. In a short time, never. Still, at least there's something to put his mind into.

"Oh, we never got your name." Nicky realized.

The girl gave a bashful look. "Sorry. I'm Paulina. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you. Name's Seba." he introduced. "The one in pink is Colette, the one in the hat is Nicky and the one with the headband is Pamela."

Paulina gave a meek smile. "I'm looking forward to being your classmates."

Pamela felt something tingling on her shoulder. When she turned towards her shoulder...

...she noticed a cricket sitting on her shoulder.

 **"EEEEEEEKKK!"**

Pamela jumped up and before Seba knew it, landed in his arms and held onto him for dear life. The human could feel her body shaking in terror.

"Get it away from me!" she shrieked as the cricket landed on the ground. He could feel her accidentally kneeing him in the gut.

"There you are, Frilly. I've been looking for you."

The cricket hopped towards it's owner. She had long blue-violet hair going down to her tail. Her outfit consisted of a purple long-sleeved shirt with a turtleneck, and her skirt was also purple but in a darker shade. She also wore white pants underneath her skirt. She also had almond shaped eyes that were dark brown.

Frilly the cricket hopped onto the new mouselet's paw as she lifted it up.

"I told you not to leave out of my sight." she gently scolded.

"Feisty little critter, eh?" Nicky remarked.

She shook her head. "My apologies. Frilly is quite adventurous."

"I-I can see that." Pamela said, still shivering from a fright. She had insectophobia.

"Uh, Pam?" Seba asked.

"Yeah?" It was then she realized that she was in his arms, which made her blush in embarrassment. The boy merely chuckled as he placed her down gently on her feet.

"So, yeah. Crickets. Friendly little things, aren't they?" he said.

"I dunno...your pet could use a little bit of spicing up." Colette remarked.

She shook her head. "Frilly doesn't really enjoy that."

"Agreed. The last time I decorated a creature, I ended up needing to get my arm treated." Seba said.

"Really? What was that?" Paulina asked, curious as to what kind of pet would cause such an injury.

"Sea urchin." The answer had gotten the mouselets to facefault at that. That's how Seba's own phobia of sea urchins surfaced by an iceberg. Seeing, thinking or visualizing it made him shiver down his spine.

"Well, I can say that crickets are nothing like sea urchins," Violet replied. "They're really nice companions to have."

"Well, we know what Frilly's name is," Nicky began before turning to the mouselet. "But you haven't told us your name."

"Where are my manners? My name is Violet." she introduced herself.

"Huh. Really suits you." Seba remarked. Violet looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Violet hair colour, violet shirt and violet skirt." he answered. "Forgive me if I'm wrong."

She shook her head. "Close, but not quite."

"Figured as much," he muttered. "I'm Seba, by the way. Pink girl is Colette, hat girl is Nicky, headband girl is Pamela and the braid girl is Paulina."

Violet gave a polite bow. "It is an honor to meet you."

Pamela gave Violet a slight slap on her back, which startled Violet a bit. "No need to get formal on us. We're gonna be classmates!"

The girls giggled while Violet composed herself. Seba gave a soft chuckle as he decided to play mobile games on his smartphone while the girls talk among themselves. He doesn't play games on his phone because phones are for calling and texting! Not for gaming!

"Hey, Seba." Nicky called out. He looked at her and noticed a curious expression on her face.

"Yeah?"

"What are humans?" she asked. Everyone was looking at him for an answer. Even Frilly the cricket was staring at him.

He gave a sigh. This was going to be a long explanation.

* * *

The hydroplane had arrived by the docks in a rather fast speed, yet looked like it was recklessly driven. The captain of the boat was a rather short and scrawny mouse. He had black hair that was slicked back. It may have looked like he was trying to look like a smooth casanova.

In reality, it made him look like a slimeball.

"Ladies, allow me to introduce myself. I am Vince Guymouse and I'll be your captain for this trip." he introduced himself. The girls looked unnerved by his mannerisms. Seba raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...it's nice to meet you." the boy replied. The captain's gaze traveled to the human.

"What are you supposed to be?" Guymouse asked as he stared. Seba rolled his eyes.

"A new student who really needs to get going. Don't wanna delay any further, do we?" Seba replied.

The captain blinked. "R-right. Let's get on board now, shall we?"

Seba and the girls got on board with their luggage. Colette, however...

"Captain? Will you be so kind as to help me board my luggage?" she asked. Violet gave a small frown at the French mouse.

The captain gave a sleazy grin. "No problem!"

The new students decided to sit next to one another. While the girls were getting to know each other, Seba watched Guymouse carry Colette's luggage onto the boat. He was definitely struggling with the bigger ones as the captain was stumbling like a drunken sailor.

"Need help there?" Seba called out.

"No need! I've got it covered!" Guymouse replied, yet was still struggling with some it.

"Suit yourself." the human muttered as he closed his eyes to try and allow sleep to overtake him. He had to work on a comic book draft last night.

He could hear the sound of the hydroplane's engine roar as they were going to take off. It was about time.

 **VROOM!**

What caught him off-guard and wide awake was the immediate fast speed that the hydroplane went. The mouselets nearly shook out of their seats. Nicky was holding onto her hat with dear life. But Seba completely fell off and landed flat on his face.

"Seba!" Nicky exclaimed as she helped the poor guy up. "Are you alright?"

"I think I chipped a tooth," the boy muttered in a daze before snapping back to reality to lick his teeth around. They felt normally lined up and clean. "I'm good."

"Oops. Forgot to mention to hang on tight!" Guymouse yelled out through the loud sound of the engine.

Seba scowled and was about to give the captain a piece of his mind when he felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned around to see Pamela holding onto him.

"Calm down. It's not worth it." she told him.

The human mumbled some curses and went back to his seat. He placed his headphones back on his ears and returned to his playlist as he looked outside the window. It looked like sleep wasn't coming anytime soon.

He decided to take his sketchbook out. Sure, the boat may drag the pencil away in crooked lines, but Seba was a natural at this. He was a writer and an artist, but by no means an expert.

It's just that he practiced from moving environments.

He tried to think of ideas. Looking around, he saw the girls talking to each other. He would actually like to draw them. However, he thought that it was pretty rude to draw them without their permission. He noticed Frilly on Violet's head, taking a nap.

Finally! Inspiration!

With that, he began to draw. Focusing on each anatomical structure, each detail and proper adjustments, the world around him began to fade as he produced each pencil stroke on the piece of paper.

Paulina looked to see what Seba was doing with that sketchbook. She was curious as to what he was doing.

Meanwhile, Seba had finished with the drawing. It was a picture of Frilly with his legs sticking out in the air. It was like the cricket was leaping out to somewhere. He looked pretty satisfied with it.

However, that feeling had diminished when he looked at it longer. It felt pretty boring since it was just one animal. Thinking about it, he wanted to add something to the drawing. Maybe it was the background. Or maybe he needed to add more flair and detail. His eyes trailed towards the window as he stared.

That's it!

Looking back at his sketchbook, he continued to draw. This new wave of inspiration was flowing into his veins and right up intro his brain. The sounds of the pencil being dragged through the material were audible as he was feeling a certain wave of intensity.

Now Paulina was interested in what he was drawing. Getting used by the hydroplane's velocity, she tried to walk over to sit next to Seba.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Seba looked slightly startled, but sighed softly as he looked at her. "Drawing Frilly."

"Frilly? Violet's pet cricket?" she questioned, looking rather bemused.

"Yeah. Wanna see?" he offered.

"Sure." she answered. She wanted to see what he worked hard on. When he showed the sketch to her, she blinked in surprise.

Frilly was leaping through the wild waves of the sea. It was as if the little cricket was clashing against the tsunami.

"How is it?" the artist asked.

Gaining herself to answer, she looked at him. "It's...interesting."

He noticed the pause. "You don't like it, do you?"

"No, no! I think it's really good! It's just that...I didn't think that you'd draw something so surreal." she commented.

Seba brightened. "I do draw vanilla content."

"Vanilla?" Paulina repeated, confused.

"Ordinary, slice of life, everyday life." he explained.

"Ah." She got it.

"I actually wanted to draw you girls, but I felt like drawing without your permission is disrespectful."

Paulina shook her head as she gave a soft smile. "You don't have to ask. You're only practicing your artistic talent," She looked at the sketch again. "Besides, I've always wondered what I looked like in 2D."

Seba gave a smile. Just as he was about to turn the page, he noticed Nicky plopped down next to him.

"Whatcha drawin', mate?" Nicky asked.

"He just finished drawing Violet's pet cricket." Paulina told her.

"Really? Can I see it?" the Aussie asked. Seba nodded and gave the sketchbook to her. She looked at it and was impressed. "This is pretty cool."

"What's cool?" Pamela interjected, sitting next to Nicky as she looked at the drawing. She looked quite startled as it was a drawing of a cricket.

"Pretty sweet, right Pam?" she asked.

"Looks...pretty awesome." was Pamela's reply. Even in 2D, she still couldn't get over her fear of insects. Seba couldn't blame her. He couldn't and wouldn't be able to draw sea urchins.

"You drew Frilly?" Violet asked as she and Colette sat next to Paulina.

"He sure did!" Nicky answered for him as he handed the sketch to Violet as Colette looked over. "Just look at how cool this little critter looks!"

Violet looked impressed if her slightly widened eyes and her slow nod was anything to indicate as such. Colette was more expressive.

"Tres magnifique! It looks really stunning!" she exclaimed. Seba could only blush in modesty.

"You're too kind." he muttered.

"Have you ever tried designing clothes?" the French mouse asked.

"Only fantasy outfits." Seba answered. "However, those were scrapped because I had to move."

"Where are you from, by the way?" Pamela asked. "I'm from Tanzania, Nic's from Australia, Violet's from China, Paulina's from Peru and Colette's from France."

"Good ol' USA." was his answer.

"Really? It's really hard to tell since you're pretty...unique." Nicky said, trying not to offend him.

Seba shrugged. "It's true. My skin is quite pasty."

The mouselets facepawed. They didn't mean it like that, but it was good enough.

"Hey, I was wondering if I could draw you girls?" he asked after he got his sketchbook back.

"Sure. Why not?" Nicky answered.

"It'll be interesting to see our own portraits drawn out." Violet remarked.

"Plus I'll look pretty cool there!" Pamela said.

"I hope you capture the stylishness I usually possess." Colette reminded.

Paulina gave a smile.

Seba nodded as he took a deep breath and began to draw.

"Do you need us to pose or something?" Pamela asked.

Seba shook his head. "As long as I have a photographic memory, I can remember what you girls look like. So you can do your own thing if you want to."

Nicky shrugged with a grin. "Good enough for me!"

The boy went on to draw on his sketchbook. Unknown to him, the mouselets were watching him draw. They were amazed at how much detail he was putting into those drawings. From top to bottom, head to foot. He would even add such small details such as the eyes and the accessories. There was one thought that popped into their minds:

 _'How does he draw in such a speed?'_

For most artists, it usually takes quite some time to draw. Here, he's doing in such a short time. In fact, he could probably finish the drawing in ten minutes.

With the shading though, it only took 15 minutes. Those small details held quite a lot of importance as it can make a picture look good.

In fact, the girls looked pretty beautiful and natural in the drawing. It was a picture of them talking to each other, having quite a nice time with each other.

The girls were pretty stunned and speechless. No such masterpiece could be created in such a short time. Especially in an environment that can cause interruptions. But whole and behold, there it was.

Seba placed his pencil down and stretched his fingers. "How is it?"

He turned to see them having the same frozen expressions, as if they were trying to comprehend something.

"I practice speed drawing thanks to my photographic memory." Seba explained to them. They still didn't budge.

With Whale Island located somewhere similar to the Bermuda Triangle, this was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Seba's eyes slowly opened up and he realized that it was morning. Last night, he remembered watching the stars with the others. There was also a shooting star. It was a really nice sight to behold. Though some of the moments were sort of ruined by Vince's ceaseless bragging.

Turning around, he noticed the mouselets still sleeping as well. Nicky was lying on the slumped Pamela's lap, Violet and Colette leaning on each other's heads while Paulina on his shoulder. He looked outside the window to see the sunlight and blue skies.

Feeling the need to move, he decided to give a soft nudge to Paulina. " Psst. Wake up." he said softly. Slowly, Paulina began to stir as she got up.

"Are we there yet?" she muttered sleepily.

"Almost." Seba answered.

"Good morning, folks! We're on our way to Whale Island, so hang on tight as I give you the ride of your life!" Guymouse announced through the intercom.

The rest of the mouselets began to wake up as soon as the announcement was done.

"We're almost there? I better look my best." Colette said as she took out a compact mirror from her purse to do her hair.

Everyone took their small bags as they could see the island from the distance while the French mouse took out her lipstick.

 **VROOM!**

The loud roar of the engine coincided with the instant velocity of the hydroplane as they sped off. This caught the passengers by surprise as they were dragged to the other side of the inside. Poor Colette had accidentally smeared the lipstick across her snout. Seba's eyes widened in fear as the hydroplane was about to collide into a nearby catamaran. Fortunately, the hydroplane made a quick turn as they made it past the traveling neighbor. Just after they passed, Seba heard the driver of the catamaran yell,

 **"HOW'D YOU GET YOUR LICENSE?!"**

The yell was somewhat toned down because of the hydroplane's engine. However, that was his least concern as he focused on holding onto something for dear life.

* * *

When they finally made it to the docks of Whale Island, Seba was the first to leave the boat. Still dazed from such a wild ride, he stumbled through the walkway before landing on the pier. The mouselets weren't faring better as they were trying to hold onto something to compose themselves. Colette was probably the only unfazed as she had other...matters to attend.

"My face! It's a mess!" she exclaimed as she gave a look of horror which reflected on the compact mirror.

Guymouse walked out and sat right beside his hydroplane. He was acting like a big rat on campus, boasting towards any passerby that walked by.

"Did you see my fabumouse docking maneuver? Not to toot my own horn, but I'm one of the best captains on the Sea of Mice. Hmm, make that _the_ best!" the captain bragged with a smug expression.

The mouselets glared at such an inflated ego while the urge to pummel this rat was rising in the human boy.

Suddenly, something or someone had caught Vince's eyes. She was a tall, slender and gray furred rodent who had a long snout. She was wearing a yellow raincoat and blue pants. Underneath the coat was a pink shirt.

Vince strode up to her and gave her paw a kiss. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vince Guymouse. It is a great, great pleasure to meet you." Even the flirting came with a sleazy grin that came with the sleaziest of sleazeballs.

The mouse looked ticked off as she yanked her paw away. "Oh, the pleasure is all mine!" she replied with a glare.

Guymouse wass so surprised, he jumped out of his fur. He stepped back, but tripped over his hind paws thanks to a puddle. He landed with a thud, looking rather dizzy himself. The mouselets and human were chuckling at the captain's karmic misfortune.

"Captain? You? My catamaran was standing still and you almost crashed into me!" the mouse exclaimed. Her tail was twitching in agitation.

Soon, the youngsters began to clap for her actions while Violet looked on in approval. Meanwhile, Guymouse was still sitting on the dock, trying to pick the bits of algae out of his whiskers.

"Well done!" Pamela exclaimed. "That rodent was really cheesing me off!"

Seba raised an eyebrow. Was this world of mice gonna be full of cheese puns?

Paulina darted forward to explain. "We couldn't take another minute of his bragging," She took a closer at the older mouse and became even shyer. "You must be Thea Stilton."

Nicky perked up. "Thea Stilton?!" She quickly went up to her and looked rather starstruck. "Wow! Would you be so kind as to give me your autograph?" she asked in a rather excited voice.

The mouse known as Thea gave a laugh. "Sure. But please, let's not be so formal."

Paulina piped up again. "That's Nicky and I'm Paulina. Those two over there are Colette and Violet." she introduced as she shook Thea's paw.

"I'm Pamela and this exotic dude is Seba!" the Tanzanian mouseling added as she helped up the American punk, whose face had a slight tinted pink when called 'exotic'. Thea looked startled at the human.

Colette spoke as she blew her hot-pink nail polish. "You see, we were on board *puff* the plane with him. It was an awful journey *puff* up and down all the time *puff*. I put on my lipstick and it smudged all over my snout!" She went on to continue puffing on her nail polish.

Nicky nodded. "What a trip! It was a wild ride. Worse than riding on a cat with fleas!"

Seba added his two cents. "I wanted to strangle him." This comment made the others look at him bewildered. "What? You'd do the same."

"Not when it comes to potentially murdering someone!" Nicky exclaimed as Seba rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Violet cut in. "But what do you think we should do about him?" she asked as she pointed to Guymouse.

"We can throw him off the pier?" Seba suggested. They all shot him a stern look, which made him give a sheepish smile as he put his hands up in surrender. "It was a suggestion."

Paulina came over to look at Guymouse, only to give a disgusted look. "Yuck! The smell must be getting to him!" she exclaimed as she held her nose. The algae really did let off quite a stench. The captain was still on the ground, looking confused.

"To say that something stinks or smells nice depends on your point of view, doesn't it Ms. Stilton?" asked Violet. She placed a paw in front of her nose. "I bet we'll learn about that in your journalism class," She pointed towards the algae. "But I think we can objectively observe that flies adore this algae here."

"My suggestion still stands." Seba interjected with a hand raised. "He needs a bath, doesn't he?"

Colette took out a small perfume bottle out of her purse. "Poor thing! He probably has a very delicate sense of smell. Let me help him." She poured two pink drops onto a pink pawkerchief and waved it under his snout. The flies flew away in a hurry. As for the captain of the hydroplane, his whiskers twitched before letting out a long sigh. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. She stuck the cloth under his snout again.

Slowly, he got back on his paws and looked around. He looked like he didn't remember how he got to the pier.

"That's some perfume you have there," Thea said, amazed by the effects of the perfume. "What's the name?"

"Captain Vince Guymouse." the captain mumbled, looking befuddled.

"Not your name!" she exclaimed, causing the captain to snap back to reality quickly. "The name of the perfume."

Colette winked. "The perfume is called Mousy Sighs."

"No wonder it sounded familiar." Thea remarked. "A very appropriate name, too!"

The mice laughed, though Seba raised an eyebrow. "The creators should make up a better name," he muttered. "It doesn't sound catchy."

Thea looked at the human. Curiously, she walked up to him. "I've never seen anyone like you before."

Seba shrugged. "That's because I'm a human."

Thea was in deep thought. "A human...I've gotta check it up in the future," she looked at him and smiled as she gave him a handshake. "It's nice to meet Mouseford's first ever human student. You'll enjoy it here."

Seba gave a small smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

Thea looked at her watch. "I better go now. I'll see you all in my class."

"Bye, Thea!" the mouselets said, waving goodbye to their future lecturer as she walked off.

"We better get our stuff from the hydroplane." Seba reminded them as they grabbed their luggage. He noticed a lot of pink bags and items in the compartment. He knew who owned those. "Colette?"

"Hmm?" she looked at Seba.

"How are you going to carry all that?" he asked as the same question burned in the other's minds.

"Allow me!" Guymouse exclaimed as he went to get her items.

"Oh, you don't have to!" Colette said. She didn't want to trouble anyone.

"It's the least I can do for making me smell good!" the captain said as he was carrying a huge pile of her stuff onto her back.

"Well...if you insist!" Colette relented, albeit happily. Violet now glared at her as they began the trip to Mouseford Academy.

* * *

"C'mon, Seba! Pick up the pace!" Nicky exclaimed as she dragged the human up the path to the school. She was really excited for her first day in class. Seba, however, didn't share the same amount of enthusiasm as her since he was getting really tired.

"Maybe we should *pant* wait for the *pant* others." Seba suggested in-between breaths.

"Hmm?" the Aussie mouse turned to look behind. They were still far off. "Whoops, my bad."

Seba sighed as he laid on the grass. Nicky sat next to him.

"Have you ever wondered what our first day is going to be like here?" she wondered.

"It's probably gonna be like high school, but with less authority." he answered.

"True," she replied. "Still, we're in college! What better way than to make it one of the best years we're gonna have."

He looked at her. "Quite the optimist, aren't you?"

She gave a smile. "What can I say? When you're this excited, you've got high hopes!"

Seba rolled his eyes as they waited for the others. A question popped into his mind.

"So who's Thea Stilton?" he asked.

Nicky looked at him as if he grew a second head. "You don't know who she is?!"

He shook his head.

"Thea Stilton is a special correspondent of The Rodent's Gazette, the most famouse newspaper in the world!" she explained.

Seba shook his head. "Sorry. I don't read the news."

Nicky gave a look that said 'Are you kidding me?'. "And you're taking journalism class?"

He gave a lazy shrug. "I don't really trust mainstream news. When you live in where I came from, you'd start becoming disillusioned with the news."

She shook her head. "The Rodent's Gazette isn't like that. They spread the honest truth in their content."

He stared at her, trying to believe her. Eventually, he sighed. "I'll take your word for it."

When the others had arrived, Seba noticed Colette and Violet's heads away from each other. Their expressions gave one of annoyance. Nicky didn't notice since she went to talk to Paulina.

"What happened?" Seba asked Pamela, who gave a sheepish smile.

"Let's just say that there was a small squabble between those two." she answered.

Violet shot a glare at the French mouse while Colette let out a 'hmph!'. Seba raised an eyebrow, but decided not push further.

When they got to the front doors of the school, they were met by a stout old mouse.

"Welcome to Mouseford Academy, young mouselings. I am Professor Octavius de Mousus and I am the headmaster of this institution." he introduced himself.

"Nice too meet'cha, old mouse!" Seba greeted by shaking his paw and a pat on the back. Everyone's jaws dropped while Professor de Mousus stumbled from such a robust introduction. Thea, however, gave a small grin.

"You must be the human Thea was telling me about. Sebastian Silverstone." the headmaster said.

Seba smiled. "Yep, but you can call me Seba."

"Hmm...why not Bastian?"

"Pfft. Sounds too formal." The others were speechless at such casual interaction.

Professor de Mousus gave a hearty chuckle. "Very well. I'll refer to you as 'Seba' from now on. But please remember to call me by my surname, Mr. Silverstone."

Seba smirked. "No promises, professor."

"Still, this might be a couple of interesting years." the old professor mused.

The mouselings introduced themselves as they were invited into his study to discuss the plans for the semester. The study had a well-worn sofa with atching chairs, a fireplace, bookshelves of old books and a wooden desk with a quill pen complete with ink well. The walls were decorated with portraits of Mouseford's alumni. The huge portrait was of the founder, Augustus Mouseford.

Seba noticed Vince Guymouse, who was drenched in sweat. He guessed that the poor rat couldn't handle the pack.

It took four glasses to save Guymouse from dehydration. Before he left, he shot a rather longing look towards Colette, who didn't notice. It must've been the perfume taking effect.

Seba's dorm room was opposite both the mouselets' and Thea's rooms. It was rather plain, which was good enough for him. Two beds were separated by a bedside cupboard. He placed his duffel bag and backpack down on the ground. Packing can wait. There was more to do.

He left his room to visit the mouselets. Just as he was about to knock, he heard a squeak. There was some loud muffled sounds before it ended in a rather audible sigh. Deciding to make his presence known, Seba knocked on the door. It opened slightly as Paulina was at the door.

"Seba? What's up?" she asked.

"I'm about to go exploring around the school. I was wondering if you mouselets would like to tag along?" he offered.

She smiled. "I'd love to. Let me ask the others."

The door closed and there were muffled sounds. The door opened again and she and Nicky left the room.

"Let's go, shall we?" Nicky asked as they began to walk.

"What happened in there?" Seba asked.

"Pam got scared by Frilly again." the Aussie answered.

"Figures. She has insectophobia." he concluded.

Paulina nodded in agreement. "This might take getting use to for her."

* * *

"I should've taken the campus brochure." Seba muttered. They were lost in his large school. One newcomer would wonder if the school was structured in a loop.

"We should ask for directions." Paulina suggested. The two could only agree. This was getting really tiring and the thunder outside was not helping their situation!

Suddenly, they noticed a shadow right in front of them. Walking towards it, the lightning struck once again. In a blink, they noticed that the shadow was revealed to be Thea Stilton.

"Hello, Ms. Stilton!" Nicky and Paulina called out. Thea noticed them and waved with a smile. Seba waved back.

Paulina smiled. "I'm so glad we scampered into you. I think we're lost!"

"We _are_ lost." Seba clarified. "I lost track as how many times we walked in circles and noticed that we passed by the same bust." He motioned towards the bust that was probably a mouse version of Napoleon.

"No worries," Thea replied. "This place is like a maze, but you'll get the hang of it. In fact, I think I remember a shortcut to the dining hall. Follow me!"

Thea led them down a long, winding flight of stairs.

"When you mentioned a shortcut, I should've sensed the irony in that sentence." Seba remarked sarcastically.

Thea shrugged. "Trust me. This is the way to the dining hall."

After a long flight of stairs, they finally came across a tiny door.

"Inside-out kangaroo pockets!" exclaimed Nicky. "This isn't the dining hall."

It was a storeroom, filled to the ceiling with strange objects covered in white sheets. There was a large object covered in a white sheet. Thea stepped in front and whipped off the sheet.

"It's a dragon carved out of wood!" Paulina exclaimed in amazement.

Seba looked at the statue. They eyes looked so creepy, since they were carved in swirls. Swirls that can represent hypnotism.

"The artist must have some sort of creative vision here." the human remarked.

Looking around it, something caught the corner of his eye. Something was sticking out of another sheet. While the mice were still gazing at it, Seba decided to see what that was. Just as he was about to reach out for it...

 **"What are you doing here?!"**

Everyone jumped at the loud voice as they turned to see a rather grouchy mouse with a duster.

"You'll lose your fur if you keep sticking your snouts where you're not allowed!" he yelled.

Paulina and Nicky were mortified while Thea was disgusted. Seba decided to calm the situation down.

"Sorry mister. We were just trying to find our way to the dining hall and we ended up here somehow." he explained.

The grump gave looked at the human with an unreadable expression.

"I can tell. You punks look pretty lost in your life." was the reply.

Seba gained a tick mark on his forehead before calming himself down before settling with tightened fists and a strained and crooked smile. The others could hear his teeth grinding.

"Could you please show us the way to the dining hall?" he asked. They could even hear the restrained anger in his tone. The handymouse didn't seem to notice.

"Hmph. Fine. Follow me." he said as he walked out of the storeroom as they quartet followed.

"What crawled up his tail and died?" Seba muttered bitterly.

Thea rolled her eyes. "That's Boomer Whale, one of the members of the old Whale family."

"I don't care if he's the queen of England. That's no way to speak to someone like that!" he whispered rather harshly.

Thea nodded. "I agree, but don't let your anger cloud your mind."

Seba gave an exasperated sigh.

"Still, I like how you tried to solve the issue by reason." she continued.

"Yeah! I thought that you were always angry." Nicky added.

Seba looked at them, a deadpan look on his face. "I might be lazy and hot-blooded, but I'm no dumb muscle."

"Oh, we don't mean it like that." Paulina quickly assured.

The human gave a smile. " I know and I appreciate that."

Once they had finally reached the dining hall, they grabbed their plates and went to get their food. The cook was Midge Whale, Boomer's sister. She was more nicer than her brother. Today's serving was cheddar cheese macaroni.

Paulina and Nicky sat with Colette, Pamela and an unfamiliar mouse. The mouse wore glasses and had mop hair. However, Violet was sitting by herself. Her food was left untouched. Thea and Seba were very concerned at how lonely she looked.

"Maybe you should sit with her, Seba." Thea suggested to him, to which he agreed. Thea needed to sit next to the headmaster to inform him about the incident with Boomer as Seba walked to Violet's table.

"It's really good, isn't it? Even the little critter likes it!" Midge exclaimed, mentioning Frilly eating his own food. "Aww, isn't he just gorgeous?"

Seba pulled up a chair and sat right in front of Violet. "Hey." he greeted.

"Hello, Seba." Violet replied.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" the human asked.

"I don't mind." Violet answered.

Seba softly smiled as he sat down and ate his macaroni. Midge was right. This tasted delicious!

Violet pulled out a book to read. Darn, he needed to get this conversation going. He looked at the book.

"So, what are you reading?" he asked.

Her eyes peered up to him. "Pride and Prejudice."

"Oh, that's a classic. It might not be my favorite, but I read it whenever I'm bored." he said.

"Really?" Slowly, she looked at him. "What is your favorite book then?"

"Paradise Lost." was his answer.

Violet raised her eyebrow. "That's a series of poems."

He shrugged. "Yet they're a set of epic poems. You can't deny that."

Her eyebrow was still raised before she settled down to her book.

Seba sighed inwardly. "Violet, if you need a friend, you can look for me or the other mouselets. We're always free to lend an ear."

Before she could reply, the bespectacled mouse stood up and yawned. "I'm so tired! It's time for bed." Seba narrowed his eyes. It sounded a bit unconvincing to him, but everyone seemed to buy it.

"Whatever you do, don't go scampering around at night!" Midge burst out as she was carrying the dishes. "You'll lose your fur if you stick your snout where you're not allowed!"

The mouselings paid no mind to it. Seba didn't care, since he needed to unpack. However, Thea was suspicious of that warning.

She knew that they were hiding something.

* * *

Morning was not too kind on Seba. His nice dream of winning the Nobel Peace Prize was interrupted by a rather horrid noise. It was as if glass shattered as he found himself off the bed. Mumbling to himself, he looked outside the window and saw Vince Guymouse and two other mice. One was playing the accordion and the other had a box of sardines. It seemed as if Guymouse was trying to serenade, but all it came out was a screech.

Scowling, Seba walked out of his room and right into the hallway. He noticed Thea and Professor de Mousus right there as well.

"Good morning, Mr. Silverstone. How are you feeling?" the headmaster asked.

"Like hammered shit." was the human's grumpy reply.

"Ah, you'll have to forgive them. It's the 'Good Morning Serenade'," he explained. "It's an island tradition to sing and bring gifts to one's beloved. I wonder who the serenade is for."

At that moment, Nicky and Paulina peeked out of their room. Violet, Pamela and Colette were right behind them.

"It looks like Mousy Sighs has struck again!" Pamela said, giggling. "Vince is head over paws in love with Colette!"

Colette had the grace to blush while Seba's scowl ran deeper.

"Nice job, Colette. I should've thrown him off the pier." he remarked. Violet shared her sentiments as well.

Midge and Boomer appeared beside them.

"Looks like he could use a little water," said Midge. "A nice cold bucket right in the snout would bring him back to his senses!"

"Thank you!" Seba exclaimed.

Boomer gave her a dirty look. "I'd do the honors myself, dear sister, if only _someone_ hadn't lost my garden hose!"

"Don't look at me!" Midge replied indignantly. "I haven't lost anything! Not a single, teensy, tiny thing! And what about _you_? Do you know where my six cheese fondue pots have gone?"

Boomer merely shrugged. "How should I know? But while we're on the topic, what happened to my rake?"

As they bickered, Nicky snapped her fingers. "What do you say we go on a run?"

They all agreed except for Violet, who wanted to sleep more. At least Seba found the exercise he was looking for. A martial artist needs to stay fit.

* * *

Seba was shadow boxing by his room. It was an exercise that most boxers would have to do in their daily training. It wasn't as intense as most would see it, but as a boxer, he took it seriously.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. Ending the session, he opened the door to see the mouselets right outside his room.

"Yo, what's up?" he asked.

"Thea asked us to help her solve a mystery. Are you coming?" Nicky asked.

He took brief consideration before giving his answer. "Count me in." There was nothing else happening today.

* * *

After taking a rinse and changing, they briefed him in on the mission. Apparently, the mouse from yesterday, Hans Ratson, had mysteriously disappeared. Thea needed their help to solve it.

They couldn't contain their excitement since this was one adventure for the books. Right now, they were walking down the cellar with the headmaster and Boomer.

"I know I can count on you not to let me down, Thea!" Professor de Mousus told her. "We've got to find Hans as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, headmaster!" exclaimed Pamela. "We can do this!"

"I hope that statement doesn't jinx us, Pam." Seba humored. Her reply was a small punch to the arm.

Colette and Violet looked worried. "What's wrong, Colette?" Nicky teased. "Afraid you'll break a nail?"

The French mouse stuck her tongue out at the Aussie. "I don't have the right kind of clothes for this adventure. When I packed for Mouseford, I didn't expect going on underground expeditions!"

"That's why they call it adventure, dearie." Seba told her. "To explore the unknown."

"Don't worry. You're perfect as you are." Pamela assured.

Colette looked calm. However, Violet still looked a little doubtful. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble?"

"The old mouse is allowing us to follow, so there's no chance we'll be in trouble." Seba answered.

Everyone became quiet when the headmaster and Boomer stopped in front of a door, who a flashlight in Boomer's paw. The path looked narrow.

"Let's form a line with Boomer in the lead." Thea suggested. Everyone nodded and lined up. Slowly, they walked down the dark, dank stairwell.

"I hope there aren't any spiders here!" Pamela said, shivering as her insectophobia was acting up.

"Shhh!" scolded Boomer. "Stop squeaking and watch where you're going. It's very dangerous!"

As they headed deeper undergound, Professor de Mousus told Thea and the students about the frescoes that lined the walls.

"These ancient pictures depict the legend of the beginnings of Mouseford Academy. According to tradition, the castle was built by the vikings. They landed on this island, which they called Whale Island, more than a thousand years ago. They built their village around the island's largest natural spring. Today's island residents are the descendants of the vikings."

After a few more minutes, they finally reached the bottom of the stairway. Boomer shone the flashlight on an ancient door decorated with stars and winged dragons. High up on the wall, they could all see Mouseford's motto carved into the stone:

 **ONE MORE, NOT ONE LESS!**

The headmaster placed a paw on Seba's shoulder. "You see, Mr. Silverstone? We don't discriminate here in Mouseford. In fact, we would gladly welcome one more species here!"

Seba looked around to see the others giving him smiles. Boomer's was more of a grin. The human felt relief was away his worries as Professor de Mousus pulled out a large key ring. He selected a big brass key.

"You even have keys to the underground?" Seba questioned.

"Young lad, when you're the headmaster of this school, you need to control the safety of the school as well." the headmaster answered.

The door opened with a loud creak as they stepped inside. Thea held her breath in anticipation.

The room they were in was a large, rectangular one with a high, vaulted ceiling. On the left, there was a huge stone fountain carved with five enormous dragons. On the right, there was a statue of a huge crouching winged dragon. This left the mice's tails to curl at how intimidating it looked.

"Welcome to the Dragon's Room." the headmaster announced. Boomer lit a few torches to brighten up the room. The fountain's pool was full of water, which was spilling out of an iron tap wrapped in a tube of green rubber.

"There's my hose!" exclaimed the handymouse.

Behind the fountain, there was an inscription that was made of odd symbols that looked like they belonged to some ancient language. The same symbols appeared on the cold stone floor.

"How peculiar," Violet murmured. "They look like letters, don't they?"

Seba took a look as well. There were 'C', 'Q', 'Z', 'F', 'N' and 'M'. Each row containing six of each letter.

Paulina pulled out her digital camera and started snapping photos. Thea smiled at her enthusiasm.

The human looked at the photographer. "Hey, Polly? How about a photo of me with this big guy?" he asked, motioning towards the dragon.

Paulina giggled. "Sure!"

Seba kneeled beside the stone dragon and gave a thumbs up. The flash went off.

"Nice." he remarked as they went back to the investigation.

"Hey, look at that!" Pamela piped up, pointing towards six fondue pots piled up in front of the dragon statue. "Aren't those Midge's pots?"

"They sure are!" exclaimed Boomer.

Colette took out a small pink notebook and started taking notes.

Meanwhile, Paulina made another discovery. "Look!" she cried. "There are wooden splinters on the floor!"

Boomer looked indignant. "There's the handle to my rake! It's completely ruined!" He looked around. "So where's the rest of it?" The metal part was missing.

"And where is Hans Ratson?" the headmaster wondered. There was no trace of the strange mouse.

"I have a hunch that the key to the whole mystery is this inscription," Paulina remarked. "I think it's written in a secret code."

"A secret code?" murmured Violet. "What can it mean?"

Seba looked at the letters on the ground before referring back to the inscription. They stayed and looked around for a while longer, but no further clues came to light.

Finally, Professor de Mousus said it was time to go back upstairs since it was getting late. His brow creased in worry. "I just wish we had more to go on." he said.

"Me too." Thea replied, feeling the same.

"I was sure we'd find Hans in the cellar," the headmaster went on. "Where else could he be? According to the legend, there are secret passageways from the Dragon's Room, but no one knows how to access them or where they lead. And they could be dangerous."

Everyone walked out of the room. Seba turned back and looked at the motto on the wall.

Wait...

Why would the school motto be displayed underground? Maybe it's supposed to mean something.

"Seba! Come on, everyone's waiting!" Pamela called out. Taking one last glance, Seba left. The mystery was getting deeper.

* * *

It began to rain again. Vince Guymouse was still singing off-key. His assistants had to drag him away, to which he was blissfully unaware.

Pamela's ears were covered with her paws. "Thank goodness they're leaving!"

Midge was complaining about how her pots were taken without permission and were left to rust. She was even more outraged that she couldn't have them back until the investigation was over. "How will I cook dinner tonight?!" she demanded.

"We could order takeout?" Seba suggested meekly, which caused a huge reaction.

"Takeout?! TAKEOUT?!" Midge's outburst caused the human to hide underneath the table.

"I'm sorry," Thea said firmly, trying to calm the cook down. "But I can't have my evidence covered with cheese fondue."

Midge stormed out in a huff.

Seba slowly moved out of the table. Violet glanced at him. "Takeout? Really?"

The human sighed. "Not my finest moment."

They began to discuss their next steps.

Paulina was first. "Behind every legend, there is an element of truth. There must be some connection between the legends of mice disappearing in the cellar and the disappearance of Hans Ratson."

Colette was a little more practical. "I think we should look at Hans Ratson's room. Maybe he left behind a clue."

"Nicky and I can go to the port to see if anyone has seen Hans," Pamela suggested. "I mean, we can't be sure that Hans is still here at Mouseford."

"Good point," said Colette. "While you're there, I'll look at his room."

"I can come with you." Violet suggested softly. It seemed like she was trying to break the ice a bit with Colette. Seba had a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Sure, that would be great." Colette replied with a smile.

"Is it alright if I help Paulina with the code?" Seba asked.

Paulina smiled. "I'll be glad to have additional help!"

Seba nodded as he sat next to her by the laptop, trying to decipher the code in the Dragon's Room.

Thea gave a smile at her students. "I'm so proud of you! Your instincts are excellent. Now, this is the first investigation, so remember: Don't be fooled by appearances. Check out all the details, but never lose sight of the case as a whole. And never be afraid to rethink your ideas. If an idea doesn't seem to be leading you anywhere, maybe it's time to try a new idea! If you need help, I'm here whenever you want. But so far, you're off to a great start. I know you can do it!"

They smiled and nodded in determination, setting off to their own tasks.

* * *

Paulina was typing down in the laptop while Seba was still trying to figure out the code. Stuck on the miniature whiteboard were pictures of the letters in the Dragon's Room, the photograph of the inscription, Colette's notes, pictures of the missing items and a photograph of Hans Ratson. Underneath the Hans picture was a question mark. There were dotted arrows all over the place.

Seba growled as he ruffled his own hair. "This is really making my brain ache..."

"Take it easy, Seba. Try take this slow and steady." Paulina told him.

Seba sighed as he sat back next to her. "How's the codebreaking?"

Paulina shook her head. "It's still in the works. Something's missing though..."

Colette and Violet came in with a huge pile of books.

"Look at this!" Colette exclaimed. "Look at how many books he has on ancient codes!"

Violet already had her snout buried in one of the books, reading rather eagerly.

"Did you find anything else?" Seba asked.

The French mouse shook her head. "He still has his belongings lying around."

Nicky and Pamela had returned as well, but they had no news. No one had seen Hans at the port. In fact, the storm had kept all the ships safe at home, and there had been no new arrivals on the island.

"Hans is still on the island." the human concluded. "But just where?" He began to circle around the bespectacled mouse's picture with the whiteboard marker.

"I've found something!" Violet squeaked as she waved some papers she had found in one of Hans's books. There was one sentence written over and over:

 **ONE MORE, NOT ONE LESS!**

"Jeez, sounds like he was possessed by a demon or something." Seba remarked, feeling a bit creeped out. However, he realized something. "The school's motto. It was inscribed outside the Dragon's Room!

Violet nodded. "I think it's an example of ancient writing. Writing that's even older than the academy itself!"

There was a long silence. What does it mean, though? Paulina looked at the motto again.

Suddenly, an idea struck.

Seba noticed her expresison. "Penny for your thoughts, Polly?"

Paulina looked at him. "I think I've got it!" She began to type into her computer. With the final tap, beeping could be heard. There was a huge smile on the Peruvian mouselet.

Everyone went over her shoulder to see what she had done. One word had appeared on the screen:

 **DRAGON**

"It worked!" Paulina exclaimed.

"What worked?" Pamela asked.

"I came up with a way to try decipher the inscriptions," Paulina explained. "I was thinking about Mouseford's motto: One more, not one less! So I typed in the letters in the code and replaced each with a letter one place after it in the alphabet."

"So the C's became D's, the Q's became R's and so on and so on." Seba concluded.

Paulina nodded. "And the word that it made was 'DRAGON'!"

Violet gasped. "You're exactly right! One more, not one less!"

Pamela hugged Pamela. "Way to go!"

Only Colette was quiet. She watched the other mouselings celebrate for a minute, then pointed to the table, which contained books and the whiteboard full of clues. "I don't mean to put mold on your cheese, but I think it's a bit too early to start celebrating. We still have hundreds of mysteries to solve!"

Seba looked and agreed. "We've got what the inscription and motto are for. But that only leaves more questions. What was the hose used for? Why use six fondue pots that ended up in bad shape? Why 'dragon'? What do the letters on the floor mean? Who broke the rake? And where was Hans Ratson? Was he possessed or something?"

The mouselets raised an eyebrow at him, who shrugged. "Just trying to lighten the mood."

Still, there were still a lot questions to be answered. Everyone looked downcast for a moment.

"We know that to decipher the mysterious code, we have to substitute one letter for another. So let's see what number works to figure out the message that's inscribed on the floor!"

With that they began to figure it out...

* * *

...which made no sense.

Seba groaned in annoyance. "Why did the code have to look like Dungeons & Dragons dice?!"

Everyone looked puzzled. "Dungeons & Dragons?"

"It's a board game. I'll show you next time." he dismissed as they went back to focus on the code.

"There has to be a connection." Violet said.

"But what? What? WHAT?!" Nicky was getting frustrated.

"The letters are pretty much a jumbled mess." Seba remarked. "The only luck we can get is from an anagram. But I've tried and none of the words I've gathered have any connection to the mystery."

Hours have passed and they were starting to get tired. In fact, bags began to grow under their eyes!

Paulina was going cross-eyed from staring at the computer screen for too long, Pamela was pulling on her own fur in frustration, Nicky was fidgeting restlessly and Colette had shampooed her hair three times in hopes of getting inspiration. Seba probably had the worst of it as he accidentally fell asleep. This in turn caused him to drop his head and slam his chin on the table, causing him to go wide awake and clutch his jaw in pain.

Suddenly, Violet had an idea. A moment of inspiration looming in her head.

"Back home in China, we say that there comes a time when you should stand still instead of scurrying about and getting nowhere," she looked at the others. "I think we've reached that moment."

And with that, she scampered out of the room.

Nicky stared after her. "What's she talking about?"

The others wall shook their heads and shrugged.

Few minutes later, Violet returned with a kettle of boilingg water and her red wooden box. She opened it and took out a teapot and some very small china cups.

"This tea set belonged to my dear great-grandmother Lotus Flower," she told them. "It is my most prized possession."

Violet crumbled a few dry leaves into the teapot.

"What's that?" Nicky asked curiously.

"It's green tea," answered Violet. "It gives you a big boost of energy. Plus, it tastes and smells delicious."

She was right, as the room was filled with a delicious-smelling aroma.

"I heard that it also cleanses the oil from your body." Seba inquired.

Violet nodded. "They serve it in restaurants since they also serve fried delicacies."

"All this talk about delicacies is making me crave for a snack!" Pamela remarked. She was interested in the cheese and crystallized ginger Violet was setting out on the tray. "That looks great! I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole elephant!"

Seba looked at her. "Can you?"

Pamela looked disgusted. "No! It was a figure of speech!"

He shrugged. "I know. It's just that your reaction is adorably hilarious." That got him a punch on the arm.

As soon as Violet was done setting everything out, everyone dug in. They'd worked up quite an appetite. Especially Pamela. There was silence while they ate. The sounds that were occasionally heard around the room was Seba's loud sipping on his tea. In a moment, they regained the energy to think again.

"That hit the spot." Seba said. The mouselings agreed. "Now, back to work!"

"These letters on the floor are a real enigma," Paulina mused. "They make no sense at all."

"So we're reminded." Seba muttered as the computer whiz sat in front of her laptop to work at the letters again.

All of the sudden, she stopped in her tiny tracks.

"Hang on, I think I've got something here!" she cried. Everyone gathered around her computer screen. "There are twenty six letters, and they're all different. So maybe it's an alphabet of some kind."

Realization dawned in her mind. "Of course! The letters on the floor don't hide a secret message of any kind, they make up a complete alphabet!"

Nicky was very excited about her discovery. "Thea was right. If an idea doesn't seem to be leading you anywhere, maybe it's time to try a new one!"

Everyone discussed about it. Pamela looked around her. She wanted another cup of tea, but every inch of the table was covered with books and papers. So she placed her cup on one of Hans's books.

Violet was thinking aloud. "We've discovered that the letters on the floor correspond to an alphabet. But what use is that?"

"Maybe it's no use at all." Pamela replied as she poured the tea into her cup.

Seba looked at her before he widened his eyes. "Pam, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Before she could reply, the unbalanced book began to topple on top of a smaller book. The teacup was shaking and before she knew it, it fell over.

Violet looked up just in time to see what was happened, only to gain a look of horror when one of her prized possessions was about to be smashed into smithereens.

 **"Oh no!"**

As quick as a kangaroo, Nicky jumped and grabbed the cup. She caught in a second before the cup landed like Humpty Dumpty.

"Smooth reflexes, Nic." Seba commented. The Aussie gave a thumbs-up in return.

Violet had sighed in relief before a light-bulb went up in her head.

"Chewy cheese bits, I've got it! Pamela, you're a genius!" she exclaimed.

"Don't make fun of me!" Pamela exclaimed, still feeling guilty about the accident. "I'm really sorry! I know I almost broke your cup, but it was an accident!"

Violet shook her head as she looked at Nicky. "Thanks, Nicky."

Nicky smiled. "No problem!"

The Chinese mouse looked back at Pamela. "If you'd broken my cup, I would have been really upset!"

Seba blanched. Thoughts of the shy mouse falling into depression made him cringed. Paulina and Colette looked at him.

"Are you okay, Seba?" Paulina asked him.

"Oui. It looked like you've seen a ghost." Colette commented.

The human shook his head. "Just my imagination."

Violet continued. "But I'm not making fun of you. I've never been that serious in my life. Pamela, you really are a genius because you've cracked the case!"

Seba looked puzzled, feeling out of the loop. "How so?"

She looked at him. "There was a six-letter word inscribed on the wall behind the fountain in the Dragon's Room, right?" Everyone nodded slowly, wondering where she was getting at. "And there are six fondue pots, too. So I bet if we arrange the pots on the floor on top of the letters that make up the word 'DRAGON' and fill them with water, something will happen."

Everyone's eyes widened at that. "That is absolutely brilliant!" Pamela squaked.

"Come on! Let's go back to the Dragon's Room!" cried Nicky.

* * *

The youngsters had grabbed a few flashlights and left a note for Thea. They stopped by the dining hall to borrow Midge's fondue pots, though rather in secret.

As quiet as mice, they scampered down to the cellars. As soon as they got to the Dragon's Room, they placed the pots on top of the letters. When it finally came to the final letter, everyone held their breath.

Paulina felt anxious. "What if something scary happens once we fill that pot? What if the roof collapses?"

Seba shook his head. "Whatever the case, any adventure is bound to have a jumpscare. Like I said, we're exploring into the unknown."

At that precise moment, Pamela finished filling the last pot. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the floor started vibrating.

"Jumping tuna fish!" Colette shrieked. The mouselings grabbed onto Seba for dear life. The poor boy was too frozen to move. They watched the six stone slabs sink into the floor, the pots disappearing along with it.

There was awkward silence.

"Could you please let go of me?" Seba pleaded. "You're crushing me."

The mouselings looked at him and realized what they were doing. They blushed in embarrassment as they released their hold.

"So now what?" breathed Colette, trying to change the subject.

As if to answer her, the stone dragon's mouth suddenly opened, a light coming from inside.

Pamela leaped up in excitement. "Wow!"she shouted. The echo caused Seba to wince at the loudness. "It's a secret passageway!"

She was about to run right in like little kid when Nicky grabbed her paw.

"Hold on a minute!" Nicky interjected.

Pamela looked at her. "Do you wanna go first?"

Nicky laughed as she shook her head. "Nah. I think we should look before we leap."

They all took a look. Inside the dragon's mouth was Boomer's rake, broken cleanly in half.

"So that's where the other part went to." Seba remarked.

Nicky gazed at the dragon's mouth. "It reminds me of the crocodiles back home." She took off her hat. "In Australia, everyone knows you have to be very careful with crocodiles."

And with that, she took careful aim and threw her hat directly into the mouth of the dragon. A moment later, its massive jaws snapped shut!

At the same time, the six holes shot up, hurling the pots against the ceiling!

"GAH!" Seba jumped at the sudden event.

"Cover up quick! It's a booby trap!" Pamela shouted. Immediately, Seba placed his hands on his crotch. The mouse facepawed. "Not like that! Gather together!"

All of them huddled up together, covering their snouts with their paws while the human took a deep breath and held it. The pots bounced off the ceiling and hit the floor, the noise echoing in the room. The water put out all the torch flames.

Everything was pitch black.

* * *

There was a moment of silence. Nicky reached for her flashlight and turned it on. The beam lit up the room, causing Seba to cover his eyes.

"Seba?" Nicky asked.

"Of course. Who else could it be?" the human replied.

"Where are the others?" the Aussie wondered.

To answer her question, Pamela, Violet, Colette and Paulina emerged from the darkness. They were drenched, but unscathed.

"Let's open the dragon's mouth again!" Pamela proposed gleefully.

Paulina shook her head, laughing. "You sure don't give up, do you?"

Pamela shrugged. "We made it this far."

So they repeated the process. From the pots on the letters to filling them with water. The dragon opened it's mouth once again.

"What do we do now?" asked Colette.

"Someone tried to keep the dragon's mouth open using Boomer's rake, but it didn't work." Pamela theorized.

Seba nodded. "Wood can't sustain against concrete."

"That's what caused the rake to break. But I believe that we can do better." she rummaged around in her backpack, pulling out an enormous wrench. "Unlike the rake, this won't break!"

The others were taken aback.

"Do you always go around with one of those things in your bag?" Violet asked.

"Of course!" exclaimed Pamela. She had an expression of a kid wondering what she did wrong. "I've got a whole collection of them. You never know when you'll come across an engine that needs to be repaired!"

"And when you offered for my video game to be fixed..." Seba trailed off. Pamela gave a grin. The boy shook his head. "Let's get this thing stuck in between the dragon's jaws."

Pamela and Nicky quickly propped up the wrench between the teeth of the dragon. It was perfect for holding the dragon's mouth open. There was just enough space for them to squeeze through.

"I wonder if there are any other booby traps," Nicky muttered.

Seba gave a glare towards her. "Really, Nicky?"

She placed her hands up in surrender. "Not like I want them to happen, you know. Just very cautious."

Violet looked a bit scared. "Let's hope not."

* * *

Nervously, the six students crept inside the stone dragon's mouth. Inside, there was a staircase that led down. They had began their decent, carefully placing one paw after another.

Colette stopped to reapply her pink lipstick.

"Are you serious, Colette? Don't you think this isn't the appropriate time to put on make-up?" Seba sarcastically asked.

"It's always an appropriate time to look fabumouse!" she answered.

Seba deadpanned. "That was a rhetorical question."

When Nicky placed her paw on the third step, a loud click was heard. Before anyone could react, the stairs all turned downward and the staircase became a slide.

Colette tried to hang on, but all she managed to do was leave a really long pink smear on the wall with her lipstick.

They all fell down.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" they shrieked. Seba covered his eyes with his hands.

 **SPLASH!**

They had landed in a dark underground river. Paulina was the first to get up. She realized that they landed right into the sewers of Mouseford Castle!

She looked around for the others. "Is everyone okay?"

"Is everybody with us?" Nicky asked, slowly sanding up.

"I'm wet, but I'm here." Pamela answered.

"Me too!" Violet said.

"I'm here too." Colette replied.

"My ass broke my fall, so I'm good." Seba remarked.

"I think we're caught in some kind of current," Nicky said. "Do you feel it?"

Violet noticed that something was missing as she looked around her, her movements slowly becoming frantic. "Frilly? Oh, where has he gone?"

"I see him!" Nicky exclaimed as she pointed at the direction. "There he is!"

Sure enough, Frilly was in a pumpkin. It was bobbing dangerously in the water. The cricket was about to drown!

Colette was the closest. "I'll get him!" With two quick strokes, she reached for the pumpkin. But then, she was unable to swim back to her friends. "The current is too strong!"

Paulina reached out for her paw. "Here, hang on to me!"

Nicky was closest to Paulina. "And you hold on to me!"

Pamela grabbed Nicky. "I got you!"

Violet held onto Pamela while Seba had gotten a hold onto Violet. Soon, the six of them were holding on to one another.

"Seba, look! Land!" Violet called. The human nodded and climbed up on the ground before pulling Violet up. She reached out to Pamela. "Grab my paw!" The Tanzanian mouse grabbed onto it.

"Frilly! Come here!"

The cricket popped his head out of the pumpkin. Then, he jumped onto Colette's arm, then onto Paulina's head, next on Nicky's hat and finally right on the tip of Pamela's snout.

The insectophobiac stared at the cricket for a moment in shock. Then's her face contorted into mortification as she shrieked.

 **"GET HIM OF MEEEEEE!"**

Frilly was as scared as Pamela, but for a different reason. He jumped into Violet's waiting paws, safe and sound. One after the other, the mouselings pulled themselves out of the water.

Violet hugged each of her friends in turn. She held onto Pamela for an especially long time. "Thank you." she whispered. Pamela didn't seem to respond, as she was curled into a fetal position.

Nicky sniffed and gagged. "Eww, do you smell that?"

Colette giggled. "Yeah. I think it's us."

Seba rolled his eyes. "Please don't use the Mousy Sighs on us."

Soon, they began to laugh, relieved that they're alive.

 **"HEEEELP!"**

Everyone jumped at the piercing cry.

"What was that?" Violet whispered.

"Maybe it's Hans!" Paulina guessed.

"Let's find out!" Nicky suggested.

"I see a light over there." Colette noticed.

"Let's check it out." Pamela offered.

"Sanctuary!" Seba exclaimed. The mouselings looked at him, bemused. "When you're in total darkness for a long time, you tend to snap out of your descent to madness."

They shook their heads as they walked into the light. A few moments later, they found themselves in a huge cave lit by rays of sunshine that filtered down through a few cracks in the ceiling. The floors were covered in sewer water.

But what really got the students' attention were the remains of an enormous viking ship! Its prow was in the shape of a magnificent dragon's head. Next to it was a strange contraption built with cables, wheels and gears. And someone was hanging upside-down.

"Hans Ratson?" asked Paulina.

''It looks like him," spluttered Violet. "But it isn't Hans Ratson!"

Whoever he was, he was happy to see them. "I beg you, please help me!"

Impulsive Pamela was already running toward him. The others hung behind him cautiously. They weren't sure what to make of the scene.

Suddenly, Colette shrieked. "Look! On the ground! It's Hans Ratson's hair! That monster has plucked out all his hair!"

Seba jumped up, feeling alarmed. "I knew it! There was a ghost that possessed him! And you mice thought that I was crazy!"

Paulina laughed. "Don't be silly, you two. It's just a wig."

Whoever it was shouted "Well then? Are you going to get me down or not?"

At that moment, Thea and Professor de Mousus had arrived onto the scene. They had found the students' note and followed their steps.

Violet was the first to see them. "Ms. Stilton! Professor! You're here!"

"Thanks to you!" Thea said, smiling. "And Colette, thank you for letting me know there was a trap on the third step of the staircase."

"Who? Me?" said Colette, looking confused.

"Yes, I found the pink smear you left with your lipstick," Thea replied. "It was ingenious!"

Colette blushed while Seba laughed. "What do you know? It is useful for something!" he exclaimed.

"Well, Professor Stilton?" Nicky asked. "Do you know who that is hanging upside down?"

Thea nodded. "Do you know Bartholomew Sparkle? He's a journalism teacher, and his photo is hanging in the headmaster's study. He disguised himself with a wig and thick glasses, transforming himself into Hans Ratson!"

The hanging mouse, now known as Bartholomew Sparkle, gave a cheesy grin and thumbs-up. Seba rolled his eyes at such a dork.

"That's right!" Violet remembered. "I saw his picture in the headmaster's study too!"

While Thea and her students were talking, Professor de Mousus was busy freeing Professor Sparkle from the confines of the rope. The young professor rubbed the place on his ankle where the rope had been and limped over to the group.

"Hello! Were you talking about me?"

Everyone had burst into laughter.

"Professor Sparkle, you've got a lot of explaining to do." Thea said as she tried to collect herself. "Tell me something: were you spying on me from Mouseford Academy when I landed?"

Professor Sparkle scratched his head. "Professor Stilton, 'spied' isn't quite the word I'd use. Let's just say I was curious to see what you were like. When I was a student, the headmaster always referred to you as a model student, so I wanted to check you out."

Thea's fur had turned a little pink. Seba chuckled at how flattered she looked.

"Still, I think it's time for me to come clean." Professor Sparkle continued. "Back when I was a student at Mouseford, I found a book called 'Booby Traps: A Beginner's Guide' in the library. It was about the cellars in the academy, which made me want to explore them. Once I was inside the Dragon's Room, I managed to decipher the code with some help from the book I'd found in the library. I went back up to the dining hall and grabbed a few fondue pots from Midge's kitchen to fill them up with water and used Boomer's rake to block the mouth of the stone dragon."

"That didn't work for you though." Seba added.

The young professor nodded. "After being carried along by the sewer currents, I ended up in a Viking trap, where you found me."

"I never thought that vikings could have some sort of intelligence." the human mused.

Professor Sparkle chuckled. "You'd actually be surprised at how resourceful and crafty they were back then."

"But why did you disguise yourself?" Thea asked.

"Because I wanted to make sure I could explore the cellars undisturbed," he answered sheepishly. "Luckily, you arrived and saved the day. Otherwise, I might've been hanging there for years!"

"People might be wondering why there's a hanging skeleton." Seba chuckled.

"Well, I can't say I approve of your methods, Bartholomew," the headmaster said in a strict tone, but turned into an approving look. "But what an amazing discovery! We'll have to get a team of archaeologists down here."

* * *

Everyone was back upstairs. The students look quite worried as to what was happening here. In a few minutes, Thea had led them in the Great Hall.

"Will we be expelled?" asked Paulina.

Seba sighed. "Especially on the first week."

"It's all my fault!" exclaimed Nicky.

Colette shook her snout. "That's not true. We were all in agreement."

"We're all responsible." Violet declared firmly.

When they entered the Great Hall, there were loads of students and teachers there. Someone in the back started clapping. Then another mouse, and then another.

This left the six surprised.

"Colette, Paulina, Pamela, Violet, Nicky and Sebastian, we ow you many thanks for find Professor sparkle and for discovering the secret that has been hidden below Mouseford Academy! Your first assignment in Professor Stilton's adventure journalism class is to write a detailed account of this adventure."

This left them relieved. They were staying! Thea smiled at the looks on their faces.

Of course, there were still a few details to sort out.

"What about my rake, my dear Professor Sparkle?" asked Boomer.

"And what about my six fondue pots?" asked Midge.

"And what about the receipt for that letter I gave you?" asked a rather unfamiliar postmouse. "Please tell me where is it, Ms. Stilton."

This was Mercury Whale, a postmouse and also one of the Whale siblings.

Professor Sparkle promised to buy a new rake for Boomer.

The six friends promised to polish the fondue pots until they shone.

Thea gave Mercury her brightest smile. "I heard that you came all the way to New Mouse City just to bring me Professor de Mousus's invitation."

"Of course! What else would I have done? Put it in the mail?" the postmouse snorted.

She batted her eyelashes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks a million!"

At that, he turned as red as a the wrapper on a wheel of Gouda.

* * *

The Whale siblings all headed off to their various tasks. Soon, Thea and her students were left. The mouselings were hugging each other while Seba was standing with his arms crossed.

"I don't do sappy." he claimed. The girls gave each other a smirk before they hugged him, causing him to freeze awkwardly.

Thea looked at them and smiled. These six were all so different from one another. Each had different personalities, passions, flaws and dreams. Working together had taught them that being different can be a huge advantage. Different perspectives give everyone a chance to learn something.

"So are we all friends now?" Violet whispered.

Colette smiled. Paulina gave here a huge. Nicky put her hat on.

"We're more than friends!" exclaimed Pamela. "We're sisters!"

Seba rolled his eyes. "Considering that I'm the only male in this little group, I'm more of a brother." Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. "Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters. Has a nice ring to it."

The mouselings rolled their eyes and chuckled. This was going to be a long semester.


	2. 2-in-1 Shorts

**The First Assignment Apparatus  
**

Seba slept in his bed, snug on the very confines of his own pillow. It was after yesterday's adventure, where he and the Thea Sisters rescued Professor Sparkle from the underground viking traps. With the adventure concluded, he was able to rest. Sure, there was the assignment they were given. But that can wait. Vince Guymouse won't be able to wake everyone up with his terrible singing.

The alarm went off in his clock. Seba merely groaned as he lazily slapped the button of the alarm. Looking at the time, it read '7:15'. He smiled sleepily. Just a few more minutes would do.

* * *

The Thea Sisters were standing outside of Seba's room. They had repeatedly knocked on the door as they waited for their male friend to get up.

"What's taking him so long? It's been half-an hour!" Nicky exclaimed, starting to feel annoyed. They needed to meet up at 8 to begin their assignment. However, Seba wasn't there and it's already 8:30. They assumed that he had finished breakfast and went to the library. However, he wasn't there. Bad enough that Midge says that she didn't see him.

"His door's locked. He could be out of the campus for all we know." Paulina said.

Violet shook her head. "That's not possible. I can hear him snoring."

Pamela growled. "That's it!" She began to slam on the door. "Seba, open this door! Don't make me do this or so help me, I'll-"

"Dear Gouda, what is the commotion about?"

The mouselets turned to see Professor de Mousus.

"Professor, do you have an extra key to Seba's dorm room?" asked Colette.

"Whatever do you need it for, young mouselings?" the headmaster asked.

"We were supposed to meet up at the library to write our first assignment, but we think that Seba had overslept." she answered. "We need to wake him up."

The professor rubbed his snout in thought. "That is becoming quite a habit. Alright. I think I have a spare key with me." He took out his set of keys to find the right key. The Thea Sisters wondered how many keys he had with him. Finally, he took out the key and handed it to Colette. "Use it wisely." With that, he walked off.

Slowly, Colette placed the key in the lock and gently turned it.

 **CLICK**

The door was unlocked as she slowly opened the door. There he was, sleeping peacefully in dreamland. Pamela had an idea.

She ran to Seba's bed and jumped on him. "Wake up, Seba!" she yelled.

 **BAM!**

The human was wide awake, overwhelmed by a crushing weight. Flailing around the bed, he tried to get up to no avail.

"We've been waiting long enough for you to get up! Do you realize that we had to skip breakfast just to wait for you to get up?!" she exclaimed, understandably irate.

Seba turned his head up to see Pamela glaring at him. "Of course you'd be mad for missing breakfast." he muttered.

"You're right I am!" she retorted.

"Pam, I think you should get off him. You're crushing him." Paulina suggested, feeling worried.

"He deserves it!" Pamela replied. "I was looking forward to pancakes!"

"True, but we should let him get changed. We don't want to waste anymore time now, do we?" Violet, the ever rational mouse, reminded.

Pamela grumbled, but complied as she got up. "You better hurry up, Seba."

Seba, now free, stumbled off the bed and went to get the clothing out from his wardrobe.

"You should really do something about the decor in your room. It could use some sprucing up." Colette commented, looking around the room.

Seba shook his head. "No point, really. It's bound to get messy when I sleep." With that, he went into the shower.

The girls decided to take this time to look around their human friend's room. Sure, it was really plain but the belongings there were actually quite interesting. There was a pile of drawings on his desk where they were rather accurate and detailed. Drawings of several mice in everyday life, fantasy and sci-fi life and in imaginative scenarios. Stuff like winning the lottery or solving a noir film crime.

There was a photograph or what looked like a young Seba with two other older humans. He looked really different in the picture. Maybe it's because they were used to him wearing gothic punk clothing. Here, he was dressed up as any average adolescent. Still, who were these two people beside him? One looked very fit and built, having short black hair while the other was quite slender with also black hair, but longer.

Seba had gotten out of the bathroom, changed into his usual outfit.

"Yo, I'm ready." Seba said.

"Say, Seba." Nicky said.

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering if we could ask you a quick question."

"Shoot."

"Who are those two people in that picture?" She asked as she pointed towards the photo.

Seba looked over. "Those are my parents. What got your attention?"

"Oh, just curious. We've never seen any other humans besides you." Paulina answered.

The boy shrugged. "That's fair. If you ask me how they're like, they're pretty much one of the coolest people ever."

"Do you stay in touch with them?" Violet asked.

He shrugged. They were confused. What did the shrug mean? He looked at the clock. "Whoa, we better get to our assignment. Up, up and away!" With that, he marched out of the room.

Nicky followed out. "We could've done it if someone hadn't overslept!"

"That's not my fault!" Seba exclaimed as the others left as well.

"Oh, and whose fault was it?"

"It was the alarm clock's fault." he answered.

"It was the alarm clocks fault, was it?" Nicky repeated dryly.

"Of course! If it was louder, I wouldn't have overslept!" he reasoned.

The Thea Sisters gave him a deadpanned look.

"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard." Violet remarked dryly.

Seba sighed as he locked his bedroom door. "By the way, how did you girls get into my room?"

"Professor de Mousus gave us a spare key." Colette answered.

"Whyyyy?" he dragged on, his tone showing exasperation. The mouselets rolling their eyes.

* * *

The library was almost empty, but they still needed to follow the rules. One of the most important rules was to keep your voice down.

Or be quiet.

Of course, nobody can do the latter since whispering was the only way to communicate.

Seba and the Thea Sisters were gathered in one table, their notebooks and laptops sprawled all over as they worked on their assignments. They decided to begin their assignments by writing a small, brief profile of themselves. Considering that the mouselings were roommates, they knew each other slightly better. However, they were curious to know their human friend more. The reason why they decided to suggest writing small profiles.

When Seba was done, they decided to read it over.

 **Name: Sebastian**

 **Nickname: "The All-Knowing" Seba**

 **Nationality: American**

 **Ambition: Comic book artist**

 **Interests: Drawing, training, writing and sleeping  
**

 **Strengths: Martial artist and keen intellect**

 **Weaknesses: Lazy**

 **Secret: -Blank-**

The girls looked at him, slightly surprised. Obviously, they had questions about him.

"You do martial arts?" Nicky asked.

"Yeah. I'm already considered a master at boxing, so now I'm training in kickboxing," he answered. "Still, I'm quite eager to learn more martial arts styles."

Reading back at his profile, they noticed that the secrets section is blank.

"I noticed that the secrets section in your profile is blank." Violet stated.

"Yeah. I mean, who would be dumb enough to actually put down a secret of theirs?" he replied.

Paulina shook her head. "Maybe we should have written it as 'fun fact'."

Nicky gave an uncertain look. "Considering that my fact isn't fun at all, 'fact' should just do enough."

With that, 'secret' was crossed out and switched to 'fact'. Seba shrugged and written it down.

"Done." he said. The girls went to see what he wrote.

 **Fact: Smokes**

The looks of shock on their faces were an indication that Seba knew it was a bad idea to write that down.

 **"YOU SMOKE?!"** they exclaimed, causing him to jump out of his seat.

"SHHH!" the librarian scolded.

"You smoke?!" the Thea Sisters hissed.

He looked at them. "Yeah. I am of the legal age, aren't I?"

Paulina shook her head. "It's bad for the environment." As she and Nicky were members of Green Mice, they was willing to protect the earth.

Nicky nodded in agreement. "And your health."

"Look, I'll be fine." he tried to assure them.

Pamela gave a frown. "That won't stop us from being worried and concern for you."

Seba raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to, you know?"

"As your friends, we have a right to be worried." Violet said.

"Imagine how bad you'll look when you smoke too much." Colette shuddered.

The human sighed. There was no winning this, wasn't there? "Look. If it'll make you all relieved, I'll throw my cigarettes away after we finish the assignment. Alright?"

The Thea Sisters didn't look convinced, but decided to drop the subject. Right now, they had an assignment to do.

* * *

Afterwards, they had finished writing their assignment down. However the next day...

"Seba?" a voice called out.

"Hmm?" he turned around to see Thea Stilton. "Thea? You're back from your trip already?"

She nodded. "Listen, I need to talk to you about that habit of yours."

He raised his eyebrow. "Habit?"

"You shouldn't really smoke, you know? It's quite dangerous and hazardous to your health."

Seba's eyes widened as he groaned. He shouldn't have written that down. It might as well been kept a secret.

* * *

 **Operation: Cigarette Dispense**

The Thea Sisters were gathered in the triple bed dorm as they discussed about what to do with Seba's smoking habit. Talking wasn't obviously going to work. They couldn't force him to quit since it'll sound rather antagonistic. Pamela wanted to keep the peace, but she still wanted the human to quit. In the end, they decided to have the next best thing.

Infiltrate.

"Let's review the plan again." Nicky said. "While Colette takes Seba out for lunch after class, we'll sneak into the room with the spare key and find those cigarettes."

They nodded. Professor de Mousus allowed them to keep the key in order to help the human overcome his habit of oversleeping.

"I'll use my charms to stall him long enough." Colette remarked.

"Won't he be angry with us when he finds out that his cigarettes are missing?" Paulina asked.

Violet shook her head and gave a determined look. "It's for his own good."

"If you say so." Paulina replied, finally fully agreeing to the plan.

With that, they went off to their morning classes.

* * *

Seba wiped the drool off his notebook. He shouldn't have stayed up from working on that comic book draft. A serial killer dressed up as an Easter bunny was quite difficult to draw and write due to the sheer absurdity of it all. Just as he was about to leave...

"Seba!"

He turned to see Colette walking up to him.

"I was wondering if you would like to have lunch in town with me?" she offered, eyelashes being batted.

He raised an eyebrow. "What about the others?"

She shook her head. "Paulina and Nicky have something to do with the Green Mice, Violet's staying in touch with her parents and Pamela's busy fixing that little contraption of yours."

Seba tilted his head. "My video game?"

She nodded. "Yes! But honestly, you should go out more. Staying inside your room while being cooped up with video games is becoming unhealthy. You'll grow creases under those eyes!"

He rolled his eyes in response. "Of course you'll say that. Still, I find it strange that you haven't said anything about my pasty skin."

She smiled. "It's an exception. I think that it suits together with your choice of clothing."

"Whatever you say. Fine, it's a date then. Let's go, shall we?" he said as he began to walk off.

"A date? Sure." she muttered, feeling the heat run to her cheeks. She turned around to see the rest of the Thea Sisters hiding behind the potted plants. Giving a thumbs up, she ran off to follow Seba.

This was their cue to begin the operation.

* * *

The Thea Sisters were right in front of Seba's dorm room, Pamela unlocking the door with the spare key. Finally, they opened the door...

...only to find the room a big mess. There were clothes all over the room, bedsheets being ruffled up and books lying everywhere. Pieces of paper were scattered as they seem to be uncolored comic pages.

"Jumping kangaroos! Is he seriously this lazy?" Nicky muttered.

"This place is a mess." Violet remarked.

Pamela shook her head. "Mess is an understatement. This room is a dump!"

"We better find those cigarettes fast." Paulina said. The others nodded in agreement as they began their search.

* * *

Meanwhile, Colette and Seba were in this pretty decent restaurant. They actually served good food and the service was friendly. The human wished that they sold other kinds of food like meat or vegetables. He was starting to get sick of cheese.

"So, is this your first time on a date?" Colette asked.

Seba nodded. "Yep. It's kind of hard to have a date when you're too focused on your comic."

"You really like drawing comics, don't you?" She could feel the passion coming from him.

"Also writing. I like showing a story visually as well."

"Why not have The Rodent's Gazette publish your work?" she suggested.

He gave a sheepish smile. "Truth be told, I haven't read any of their works."

It felt like deja vu for him as Colette's jaw dropped. "You haven't heard of them?! And you're taking journalism class!"

He gave a nervous chuckle. "That was Nicky's reaction when I told her the same thing."

She shook out of her stupor. "We seriously need to get you something to read from them."

* * *

Back to the Thea Sisters, they are currently still searching for the cigarettes. With their biggest challenge right in front of them (figuratively a mountain of clothes, bedsheets, blankets and books), their scavenge had been proven most difficult.

While Nicky would try and rummage through the pieces of cloth, she couldn't help but look at what the comic pages were about. Reading it, her face slowly transitioned into disgust. What the heck was Seba drawing? A mouse in a bunny suit acting as a serial killer? What a plot!

* * *

Seba and Colette were walking by the pier, looking out at the beautiful sea with the sun shining brightly.

"The sea really is something, isn't it?" Colette asked.

Seba nodded. "Clean and crystal clear. Too bad we're not allowed to go swimming around here."

She rolled her eyes. "There are many boats and ships here. Do you expect anything more? Besides, I hear there's a beach around Whale Island."

He looked at her. "Beached whales?"

She shook her head. "I said a beach on Whale Island."

"Whales on beaches?" he replied.

"I said..." she realized that he was messing with her as she gave a slap on his arm.

He chuckled. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

She rolled her eyes. As they looked on, there was one question on her mind.

"Why do you smoke?"

He looked at her with an unreadable expression before sighing.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" he questioned.

She shook her head firmly.

* * *

Pamela had managed to find her way through one of the desk cabinets. Opening it, she found a miniature fridge. Each dorm was given their own mini-fridge, but they needed to get their own snacks. A grumble in her stomach interrupted her thoughts.

'Maybe he has some snacks in there...' she thought before deciding to open the fridge. There were bags of chips, candy and soda stored. She smiled like an excited little mouseling.

* * *

Seba and Colette were back in campus, sitting in the school gardens.

"Well, I smoke because I need to make inspiration on trying to make a good comic."

The French mouse tilted her head. "That's it?"

He looked at her. "Yeah. What? We're you expecting a dramatic story?"

She nodded rapidly. "There has to be more about that."

"That's pretty much it. When you're trying to think of something, you try to do something to keep your brain up. Smoking tries to help me think."

"Aren't there any other alternatives rather than smoking?"

Seba rubbed his chin. "Actually...I think I do."

"You do?" She was pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah. I guess there's a better way than destroying my body. Thanks for helping me think this over." he said.

She smiled. "It's no problem at all. What are friends for?"

Seba got up. "I better go now. I'm gonna take a nap!"

Her smile instantly disappeared. "Wait, what?"

"Napping will help me gain inspiration!" he exclaimed as he went back to his room. "Thanks for lunch! Tell the others to thank them for helping get rid of the cigarettes for me."

She gave a light glare. This wasn't how to end a date! Suddenly, she blushed. Why was she thinking that this was a date? She shook her head to focus on more important matters.

Wait, did he tell her to tell the others to give thanks? For getting rid of the cigarettes for him?!

She blanched. He knew. Panicking, Colette took out her phone and tried to call the others.

* * *

The girls still couldn't find anything. Suddenly, Paulina's phone beeped. She took it out and saw Colette's name before answering.

"Hello?" Paulina began.

"Polly, Seba's on his way back!" Colette said.

"What?!" she exclaimed, causing the others around her to look at her. "I thought that you were stalling him!"

"He wanted to take a nap! Get out of there ASAP!"

Nicky found the cigarettes in the bathroom and took it. "I found it!"

"Let's get out of here!" Pamela exclaimed.

With that, they sped out of the room and quickly locked the door.

Minutes later, Seba unlocked it and entered. He took a smell of fresh air and smiled.

"Nothing but a nice nap. But first, gotta throw those sticks away."

He went into the bathroom to look for them. "Huh, where did I put those cigarettes? Maybe I already finished it. Pfft. That's not possible. I had a couple more."

He went back out. "Ah well. If they really threw it away, then it saves me the trouble. I'm too tired to even think about it. I'll thank them at dinner."

With that, he fell down on the bed and went off into dreamland.

* * *

At dinner, Seba had been served spaghetti with extra cheese and meat. As the only human, he was given a special diet of meat and vegetables. Looking for a table, he found a table with the Thea Sisters. He took his seat right next to Violet. There was an awkward silence as they stared at the nonchalant Seba, who was busy eating.

There was an elephant in the room. Figuratively.

"Okay, we need to know. How did you know that we snuck into your room?" Pamela asked, breaking the ice.

"Today's Tuesday. Green Mice always have their meetings on weekends." Seba answered.

The mouselets looked at Colette, who gave a sheepish smile.


	3. The Mountain of Fire

**Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Mountain of Fire**

Seba and Nicky were in her dorm room, trading notes they took from class. However, it was more like the human giving the mouselet additional help since he already studied his own and was currently reading a metal music magazine.

"I'm still really skeptical about how you managed to memorize every single one of these notes," Nicky said. "I mean, these are a pawful to read."

He shrugged. "Well, they don't call me the "All-Knowing" Seba for nothing."

Nicky rolled her eyes. "We never call you that."

Suddenly, the phone rang and Nicky went to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Nicky, I'm so sorry to bother you," the voice said. "But your parents are traveling and I can't get in touch with them."

The mouselet's whiskers quivered with worry. "What's wrong, Naya?"

Seba's closed his magazine and walked next to her to get a slight hearing in. Naya was Nicky's Australian Aborigine grandmother. He knew since she mentioned her once.

"Strange things are happening at the ranch," Naya answered. "The sheep in the middle pen are sick."

'Sheep?' the human wondered.

"Have you called the vet?" Nicky asked.

"Yes, but he can't figure out what's wrong," was the reply. "I just don't know what to do."

"I'm coming home to help you, Naya!" Nicky exclaimed.

"Oh, you shouldn't have to do so. I don't want to interrupt your studies."

The mouselet shook her head. "Family comes first. I'll be there ASAP!"

She hung up the phone and immediately started packing.

"Your grandmother's in trouble?" Seba asked.

She looked at him and nodded. "Something's happening at the ranch and I need to find out."

"Maybe I can come with you." he offered.

She shook her head. "I shouldn't get you involved in this. This is something I need to do."

He gave a soft smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm gonna help whether you like it or not."

She returned with a smile of her own before hugging him. "Thanks. That's pretty awesome of you to do something like this for me."

He reluctantly returned the hug and gave a gentle pat on the back. "You better keep on packing. We need to get to the outback soon."

She nodded and continued while Seba left to his room. Two minutes later, he returned with a duffel bag in his arm and a backpack in another.

She looked surprised. "That was quick."

He shrugged. "I didn't really pack that much. Only to last me for 2 weeks because of laundry." he went back to reading his magazine.

The rest of the Thea Sisters had came in to see Nicky packing.

"What's going on, Nic?" Paulina asked. She was Nicky's roommate and closest friend in the entire academy.

"She's got a family emergency." Seba answered for her. "Something's happening to her ranch and her grandmother's in trouble."

"Not only that, the sheep are sick." the Aussie added.

Colette, Violet and Pamela had gathered around Nicky with the French mouselet placing a paw on her shoulder. "You are such a kindhearted mouse. I am sure your sheep will be okay."

Nicky gave a soft smile. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Colette. But the sheep are not our pets. They're out business. We shear their wool and sell it. We depend on them to keep the ranch going."

"Your family produces the materials, right?" Seba asked, his question answered with a nod.

"But Nicky, we're right in the middle of the school term," Violet reminded her. "Can you really just pick up and leave right now?"

"I don't have a choice," Nicky said. "My grandmother needs me. I've got to go!"

"What about Seba? Why's he packed up?" Paulina asked, wondering why he had his duffel bag next to him.

"I'm going with her since she needs a friend to support her." Seba answered. "Besides, I could use this as my personal vacation time from all that studying.

The four mouselets exchanged looks. It seemed that Nicky had made up her mind.

"How about you add four more friends to that?" Pamela asked.

Violet nodded. "We're coming with you too."

Nicky was full of gratitude. First Seba and now the rest of the Thea Sisters. She threw her paws around her friends. "Thanks so much! You're the best friends a mouseling could ever want!"

"Well, come on then," said Violet. She wasn't a mushy type of mouse along with Seba. "Let's go talk to Professor de Mousus."

* * *

Octavius de Mousus, the headmaster of Mouseford, is the kind of rodent who seems really stern at first glance. But underneath that stiff fur beats a heart of gold. So he decided to take the time to listen to Seba and the Thea Sisters's situation in his private study.

"My dear students, you know no student is allowed to leave the academy during the semester. Especially during exams," he said kindly. "But since this is an emergency, I will grant you permission to leave Whale Island," The girls smiled at that. "However, when you return, you will still need to take your exams. So don't neglect your studies!"

They nodded. "Thank you, Professor!" said Nicky. "We won't forget."

The headmaster looked at Seba. "Mr. Silverstone, from what I've seen from the results of your entrance exams, I would like you to help them keep their studies up to date."

"I'll try my best, old mouse." the human lazily saluted.

When they left the room, they all looked at Seba with a concerned look. He never told them that he had taken the entrance exams.

"Are you really going make us study when we get to Australia?" Pamela asked.

Seba rolled his eyes. "Pfft. I said I'll try to make you study. I never said that I was gonna make you." They sighed in relief when they heard that. "Emergency overseas travel is translation for unsanctioned vacation time."

They rolled their eyes, but chuckled softly.

* * *

Early the following morning, the six students headed down to the port to catch a boat back to New Mouse City. Quite a few rodents came to see them off, hugging and waving goodbye. As the ship began moving slowly away from the dock, Mercury Whale and his brothers broke into a farewell tune.

 ** _The Hymn For A Happy Return_**

 ** _May your journey be a breeze,  
_**

 ** _Rich with smiles and rich with cheese!_**

 ** _May your return be filled with delight._**

 ** _We'll await your arrival day and night,_**

 ** _When you return, we'll all eat cheesecake._**

 ** _But don't forget to bring us a keepsake!_**

* * *

In New Mouse City, the six friends caught a plane to Australia, which was practically on the other side of the world. Pamela was really excited. She kept asking her friends, "Are we there yet? How much longer?"

The next thing they knew, Pam had went around the plane. She had been asking the pilot and other passengers the same question. "Are we there yet? How much longer?"

Colette leaned over to Paulina. "If Pam had to parachute down, she would probably ask a passing seagull, 'Are we there yet? Will it take much longer?'"

Both of them giggled behind their paws at the image. Seba had an idea and began sketching Pam just doing that.

* * *

Their plane had landed in Sydney, the largest city in Australia.

"Holey cheese, that was a long trip!" Paulina exclaimed, rubbing her sore tail.

"You tell me. I never thought that Pam would keep on asking that." Seba muttered.

Nicky smiled at her friends. "Sisters, Seba, I have good news and bad news."

"Bad news first." Seba insisted.

"The bad news is that our trip's not over yet."

Her friends squeaked in protest.

"And the good news?" Colette asked.

"My cousin Billy is here waiting for us!" Nicky exclaimed. She waved her hat at a good-looking rodent who was leaning against a pink, flowered camper. He had curly dirt blond hair and wore a orange T-shirt, blue trousers and a dark blue jacket.

"Your cousin's a hippy?" Seba questioned, gazing towards the colorful camper.

"G'day, everyone!" said Billy. "Climb in!"

The Thea Sisters, Seba and Billy piled into the camper. After an hour on the road, it was Violet and Paulina who were asking "Are we there yet? How much longer?"

"Geez, they're really excited." Pamela commented, prompting Colette and Seba to facepalm (in Colette's case, facepaw).

Billy just smiled. "Easy on, friends! Only another 250 miles to go!"

Colette's fur turned white. "What do you mean, only another 250 miles?!"

Billy pointed to the horizon. "Australia is an enormouse continent, so everything is relative!"

Seba looked out and groaned, resorting to landing his face on the seat in front of him.

Billy looked at his rearview mirror. "I never seen a critter like you before. What are you?"

Seba looked up at him. "I'm a human. An American one at that."

"A human?" Billy pondered. "Now that's a first."

The trip had even went on even to the entire night. The camper drove over mountains and valleys. The road had so many twists and turns that Violet turned a little green.

"I can't take it anymore! I'm going to lose my cheese!" she exclaimed.

Quickly, Seba dug into his backpack and took out a paper airbag he snagged from the plane and handed it to Violet. "Use this."

"Just hold on, Vi! This ride's about to get a lot less bumpy." Nicky assured her.

She was right. A moment later, the camper came to a wide-open prairie. The moon was high in the sky. It glinted off the grass, which was sparkling with new dew.

"What a gorgeous place!" exclaimed Paulina. "It looks like a fairyland!"

"If it were really a fairyland, I would be high right now." Seba muttered under his breath.

They could see spots that looked like snowy bushes. As the camper drew nearer, they realized that the spots were, in fact, huge herds of sheep. Nicky and Billy took turns driving while the others took turns napping and keeping the drivers company. As the van sped across the prairie, Nicky's thoughts turned to the reason they were there.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, Billy. But is there any news from the ranch?" she asked.

Billy's cheerful expression darkened. "Let's not worry about that now. We'll be there soon."

Seba had noticed it. The situation must really be serious.

In the wee hours of the morning, Nicky let out a shout. "There it is!" She pointed to a big, ramshackle farmhouse in the distance. She smiled a little sadly. "It's always good to be home, no matter what the reason."

Seba nodded. With his parents missing, he could feel what she's feeling.

A few moments later, they had finally reached he ranch.

 **BONG BONG BONG!**

Nicky's grandmother, Naya, was standing at the farmhouse door. She was beating a pot with a metal ladle. "Let's go, mouselings! Move your tails! I've made you a delicious breakfast of eggs and cheese grits. You don't want to eat them cold, do you?"

"Naya!" Nicky cried as she exited the camper and up to the elder. "It's so good to see you!"

"Come here and give me a hug, my little cheese dumpling!" Naya cried, throwing her paws around Nicky.

"Are you okay?" the young Aussie mouselet asked, returning the hug as she tried to hold back tears.

"Of course, I am," replied Naya, hugging her granddaughter tighter. "Now enough of this! Scamper off and eat with your friends. We'll have plenty of time to talk about our troubles later."

Billy and Seba were unloading the trunk as they took in the luggage right inside the ranch. Naya had walked up Seba. "You must be the human Nicky mentioned."

"Yes I am, ma'am." Seba replied, nodding dumbly.

The old mouse gave a soft chuckle. "Please, just call me Naya."

"Will do."

She placed a paw on his face. "Still, I've never seen someone like you in all my years."

He shrugged. "I'm somewhat one of a kind in the academy."

"I hope you're taking good care of my granddaughter."

He nodded. "As one of her friends, I'll support her to the fullest."

She smiled. "It's nice to see that the young folk can be loyal now these days. How about you scurry off and join the mouselings for breakfast?"

Seba gave a nod as he went into the kitchen. He noticed that Billy and the Thea Sisters threw themselves at the big, hearty breakfast that Naya made.

"Seba! We saved you some some eggs!" Paulina called out.

The human nodded in gratitude as he joined them. The food was whisker-licking good.

* * *

After everyone was done with breakfast, Naya had led Nicky, Paulina and Seba to the middle pen. All the sick sheep were there. They were eating, but they looked tired. Wool was falling from their backs, dotting the prairie with white tufts.

"Moldy mozzarella!" cried Nicky. "The great shearing will take place in less than a month and we won't have any wool to sell!"

"What's the great shearing?" Paulina asked. She pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and carefully picked up samples of soil and grass to analyze.

"These are wool sheep," explained Nicky, reaching down to hug one. "Every year at the end of the cold season, we shear them. That is, we cut off their wool. Once all the sheep are sheared, we sell the wool to factories that use it to make yarn for sweaters and cloth for dresses and blankets."

"Poor things!" Paulina exclaimed. "Does the shearing hurt them?"

"Yeah, it sounds a bit brutal." Seba muttered, wincing at his own imagination of the process while carrying a baby lamb in his arms like it was his own child.

"Oh no, of course not!" Nicky replied. "As long as it's done well and gently. It's kind of like getting a furcut."

Paulina wanted to pet the sheep, but the closer she got, the more nervous the sheep became. They stomped their hooves and pressed against one another.

She tried to reassure them. "It's okay, little ones! I just want to see if you're alright." She turned to Nicky. "Are they acting like this because they don't know me?"

Nicky shook her snout. "No, there's something wrong. They're usually very friendly. Even towards strangers. If they get frightened, they just run away. I've been around sheep my whole life and I've never seen one stomp its hooves before."

"It's as if they don't know who to trust in this situation." Seba theorized, gently placing the lamb down to the ground.

Nicky was worried. The sheep were obviously sick and The Great Shearing was coming up soon. There was no way her parents would be back in time. It was up to her to take care of things. The realization made her shiver. She was just a mouseling. How could she take on so much responsibility? But on the other paw, how could she not? If she did nothing, the sheep would just get sicker. They might even die!

She had to do something! But what?

"What do I do?" wailed Nicky.

Paulina put her paws around her friend. "Don't worry! We're here to help. Let's think. What would Thea do?"

Seba pounded his fist to his palm. "Definitely something."

Nicky wiped her eyes. "Thanks, you two. You're right. Let's not lose our snouts." She took a deep breath. "Okay if Thea were here, she'd review the situation, make a list and figure out her next move."

They began to write the list down.

 _ **The list:**_

 **-Something must be making the sheep sick.**

 **-Only the sheep in the middle pen are sick. So the sickness isn't contagious.**

 **-All the sheep on the ranch drink from the same stream. Therefore, the water is not the cause of the sickness.**

 _ **Conclusion: If something is making the sheep sick, it had to be in the grass of the middle pen.**_

* * *

Paulina went inside to take a closer look at her soil samples. Pamela, Colette and Violet went along to help her as she explained the situation to them.

Nicky, Billy and Seba worked with the ranch hands to move all the sheep to another pasture. Once they were done, Seba decided to accompany Nicky to visit her favorite horse, Stella. She was a mare with white fur and a grey mane. The happy neighing that greeted her quickly made her forget all her worries.

"Stella!" she whispered. "I missed you so much!"

She offered the horse an apple as a snack.

"She's been around ever since she was a foal, I presume?" Seba deducted.

She nodded and smiled. "She's been my beautiful steed for who knows how long."

She threw a saddle over Stella's back and jumped on. "Coming along?"

He shrugged. "Sure. Looks like fun."

Nicky pulled him up and he was right behind her. "Hold on, this is gonna be one heck of a ride."

Together, they galloped out onto the open prairie.

"Woah!" Seba exclaimed. "The horsepower is there. I think it can outrun a convertible!"

Nicky laughed at that statement before she sighed with happiness. Studying at Mouseford was wonderful and Whale Island was a fantastic place, but there really was no place like home. It felt so good to be back on the ranch with the wind rushing through her fur. For the human, he could feel his hair being blown by the breeze as he slightly leaned back and closed his eyes to feel the wind's sensation.

Suddenly, Stella neighed loudly and bucked. Fortunately, Nicky was an experienced rider and she managed to keep her seat. A less experienced rider would have been thrown from the saddle for sure.

Seba was one of those inexperienced.

"WARGH!" he exclaimed as he landed on the ground. "I'll be feeling that in the morning."

"Seba! Are you alright?" Nicky asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm good." he replied as he slowly stood up. "But what about the gal here?"

"Stella? What's wrong?" she asked the horse as she helped him back up behind her.

Stella whinnied and pointed her nose towards the sky. A small plane was circling overhead. This was nothing unusual since all the ranches owned small planes. They were used to visit friends, fertilize the fields and travel long distances. Yet Stella seemed bothered by it.

Nicky frowned. She realized she'd been gone longer than she thought.

Seba noticed her expression. "What is it, Nic?"

She looked at him. "I think it's time to return to the ranch."

He nodded without hesitation, considering that she was serious. He also noticed the plane right above them. He felt trouble brewing in as they rode back.

* * *

Nicky had led Stella back to the stables as Seba rubbed his butt from the pain he took from that fall. Paulina had scurried towards them.

"There's lead in the soil! All the tests are clear. And Violet went online to do a little research. The sheep's symptoms agree with my diagnosis. Tiredness, loss of fur and irritability are all signs of lead poisoning!"

Nicky was stunned. "But how did lead into the pen?"

Seba growled. "Definitely not naturally."

Paulina frowned. "I don't know. Maybe the field was watered with contaminated water."

"I smell foul play." the human said as he took a small whiff of the air.

Naya came and joined them. "The plane!" she exclaimed. "One night, I heard a plane flying very low over our ranch."

"At night?" asked Nicky in surprise. "That's dangerous!"

"Yes, it's very dangerous," the elder agreed. "But darkness is the best cover for rodents who wish to stay hidden!" Her snout was creased with worry. "I didn't realize the connection until just now. Soon after I heard that plane, our sheep began losing their wool!"

"There are only two planes around here," Nicky's whiskers began quivering with anger. "One is ours and the other belongs to that good-for-nothing sewer rat Mortimer MacCardigan!"

* * *

Nicky had already left the ranch to confront Mortimer while Seba and Pamela were helping Naya and Billy prepare dinner. Tonight was cheese stew. Seba was curious as to how cheese can be made into stew, but another question burned into his mind.

"So who is Mortimer MacCardigan?" he asked as he nonchalantly slapped Pam's paw away from the stew.

Naya sighed with a soft frown. "He's our neighbor who also breeds sheep. But-"

"His methods are ruthless." Billy finished with a growl, walking in to set up the plates. "He's a self-made rat with no consideration for other rodents."

"Geez, how bad is he?" Pam asked, flinching at the blunt description while rubbing her own paw.

"Place him in a competition and just imagine how far to heights he is willing to go all just to be the best." Billy answered, feeling a bit angry at Mortimer's previous actions.

Both pairs of eyes widened.

Naya sighed sadly. "This was what caused a strain in Nicky's friendship with Nate."

"Nate?" Seba repeated.

"He's a really bright, young mouse who really is also passionate about sheep shearing. Very sweet as well." she explained.

"The only problem is that he's Mortimer's son." Billy added. "It's not like I don't like him because they're related. It's just that he doesn't have the backbone to stand up to his old mouse."

Seba pondered as he looked out to the window, watching the sun set as to how things will happen. What he didn't know was that Pam was about to sneak a taste of the stew.

Suddenly, they heard the front door slam, causing both of them to jump. They peeked over to the other room to see Nicky storming to the couch and landing on a couch.

"I guess things didn't go well." Seba said.

"You think?" Pamela snarked.

* * *

Dinner was by the fire as they all sat to warm themselves. Seba had to admit, cheese stew was pretty good.

Nicky told them what had happened with Mortimer MacCardigan. "After squeaking with that greedy sewer rat, I'm even more convinced he's behind what happened to our sheep!" she exclaimed, growling. "I think he has a guilty conscience."

"Or probably none at all." Seba remarked.

Nicky turned to Paulina. "Did you find a cure in your research?"

Her friend shook her head sadly. "Nothing!"

Naya was in deep thought until she thought of something. "I think I might have an idea."

Nicky brightened instantly. "Really, Naya? What is it?"

"Perhaps it's time to turn to the wisdom of our elders." She got a faraway look on her snout. "You see, thousands and thousands of years ago, our ancestors used flowers, leaves and roots to heal all living things. When I was just a tiny mouseling, my grandmother's grandfather told me of a powerful root that could cure every disease."

"A root that could cure every disease? Is that possible?" Seba asked, looking slightly bewildered.

Naya smiled and nodded as she slipped a necklace of seeds from her neck. In the center was a medallion engraved with a desert mouse. She gave it to Nicky. "This medallion is the symbol of our clan. Take the necklace. It will be of help to you in the land of our ancestors."

Nicky looked bemused. "What do you mean, Naya?

The old mouse pointed northwest. "Take the necklace with your journey. You must go to the Flinders Ranges and look for Nepabunna. There you will find out clan's elders. They'll know how to help save our sheep."

Naya got up and pulled a smooth, flat, oval piece of wood from a pouch at her waist. A long string was connected to it. She grabbed the end of the rope and began spinning it over her head. It went faster as the wood twisted and turned in the air. It began to make a strange buzzing sound that got louder every second. It seemed to fill the sky for miles and miles around them.

Violet, Paulina, Pamela, Colette and Seba were mesmerized.

"What is it?" Violet asked Billy.

'It's called a bull-roarer," he answered. "We use it as a kind of telephone. Whoever hears the sound spins his or her bull-roarer and sends the message until it reaches its destination."

Naya stopped spinning her instrument and smiled. "Everything's fine," she said. "Thanks to the bull-roarer, news of your trip is already on its way to Nepabunna!"

* * *

Nicky, Violet and Pamela spent the rest of the night studying maps, Paulina did research on the Internet, Colette calculated the distance from the farm to the Flinders Ranges and Seba had set up and packed the equipment and supplies provided by Naya.

Before curling up for a good night's sleep, they had started packing for the trip.

"Be sure to bring only what's absolutely necessary!" Nicky warned them before looking at Colette. "Just one small suitcase each."

"Why are you looking at me?" Colette cried, looking indignant. "I will be good, I promise!"

Seba merely snorted before turning his head to sleep.

"And what is that suppose to mean, Seba?!" the French mouselet exclaimed.

Her reply was a series of soft snores.

* * *

The next morning, the six friends were still asleep when a droning noise woke them.

"What's that sound?" Violet mumbled sleepily, feeling a bit grouchy.

"It's a plane!" shouted Nicky, she and Seba suddenly leaping up. She was afraid it might be Mortimer MacCardigan coming back to poison her sheep.

"Time to punch someone!" Seba exclaimed as they scampered out to the porch.

However when they got there, they saw a white plane with an odd crest painted on the fuselage. It was the logo of the Royal Flying Doctor Service!

The plane landed on the ranch's lawn. Billy ran toward the friendly-looking pilot, a rat wearing a flashy, flowered shirt.

Billy introduced him to Nicky's friends. "This is Doctor Oodgeroo Yunupingu of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. But you can call him Ted. He's my brother!"

Billy? Ted? Bill and Ted?

Seba blinked.

"G'day, everyone!" Ted greeted as he hugged Nicky. "It's been too long, cousin."

Billy and Ted helped Seba and the Thea Sisters load their baggage onto the plane.

"So, Ted. Have you and Billy had any excellent adventures before?" the human asked.

The pilot smiled and look at him. "Oh, plenty. You should hear about how we tried to use the farm's plane to drop a stinkbomb on our principal's car."

Seba gave a huge grin. He was going to like them a lot.

Looking at the sisters, he had an observation towards what they were carrying. Pam had her backpack and her wrench. Paulina had a duffel bag and her laptop. Violet had a shoulder bag and the teeny-weeny pumpkin house that held Frilly. Nicky had a small knapsack and a pair of binoculars.

Seba himself carried a backpack and sketchpad. Inside his bag was a map, bug spray, a hat and sunscreen, a canteen of water, light clothes for daytime, a hoodie jacket for cool nighttime, raingear during the rainy season and a tiny health kit.

It seemed that they had taken Nicky's words to heart and packed light. Everyone, that is, except Colette. She was carrying a tiny pink purse, yet was also carrying an enormous suitcase that looked like it was about to burst open.

Nicky, Paulina, Pamela, Violet and Seba had all stared at her, the human's stare giving a deadpan one.

"Colette." Seba said, dull tone in his voice.

"What is it?" Colette asked. "What is wrong? I packed one suitcase, just like you said and it is not even completely full!"

They just kept staring at her.

"Colette." Seba repeated, though there was firmness in his voice this time.

The French mouse merely sighed. "Fine." With that, she went back into the farmhouse, dragging the enormous suitcase behind her.

A few minutes later, she emerged again. This time, she was carrying only the little purse and a small backpack.

"I do not know what I will do if we get invited to a dance," Colette said, worried as she climbed onto the plane. "I will have nothing to wear!"

Nicky gently placed her paw on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Colette! If somebody asks you to a dance, I'll get you a dress. I promise."

Seba pointed towards her as he got comfy in his seat. "I'll hold your word to it."

She scowled at him.

A few moments later, the plane took off.

"The Finders Ranges aren't too far away and I'll take you there from go to whoa," Doctor Ted told the six friends. "It's a short flight. Just three hundred miles. So sit back and get comfy! You're flying the friendly skies."

Nicky smiled. She loved flying. And she felt better now that they had a plan.

It was supposed to be a relaxing flight, but it wasn't at all. Seba couldn't help but feel like something's happening in their adventure.

Suddenly, Doctor Ted had received the order to change his route. "I'm sorry, Nicky! Dispatch just told me there's an emergency in Buckleboo. There's a rodent desperately in need of medical attention and I can't you with me. It's against the rules. I'll have to drop you off in Port Augusta."

The mouselings look dismayed but Seba frowned. This was too coincidental.

* * *

Doctor Ted was a rodent of his word. He dropped Nicky and her friends off at the Port Augusta train station. An hour later, they were on board a train headed north to the city of Hawker. At Hawker, they scurried to the bus for Wilpena. There they went to a car rental shop to rent an SUV.

The mouse who rented them the SUV was cheerful. "This baby's got everything you need for an absolutely fabumouse adventure!" he promised.

They piled into the SUV and set off. The scenery was breathtaking! They passed rolling green valleys and meadows and giant trees. Pamela, Colette, Violet, Paulina and Seba bounced from one side of the SUV to the other, peering out the windows. Soon, they started a contest to see who could spot the most animals.

"What's that cute little critter? Is it a baby kangaroo?"

"That's not a kangaroo, that's a wallaby." Nicky answered.

The SUV sped along. They were getting closer to their destination. Nicky smiled. Finally, their mission seemed to be on track.

But just then, drizzle began to fall.

Then it turned into driving rain.

Which turned into a storm.

Paulina, Colette, Pam, Violet and Seba had never seen rain like this! The falling drops were as big as cheese slices!

"They say that raining cats and dogs was an expression," Seba muttered. "They've never seen hailing taxis like these before."

"I'm pulling over," Nicky declared. "I can't see past the tip of my snout. Plus, it's getting dark."

They decided to wait, but the rain just wouldn't let up.

Paulina brought out some Cheesy Chews and apple juice.

"Thank goodness you packed snacks!" exclaimed Pam. "I'm hungrier than a rodent on a MouseFast diet!"

Seba rolled his eyes. Only Pam would be extremely delighted at snacks.

After eating, sleep overtook the exhausted mouselings. One after the other, the five friends slipped into a peaceful slumber. Seba, the only one awake, had decided to take watch. To keep himself occupied, he decided to draw the scenery of the great outback.

* * *

A few hours later, Seba began to notice a colourful flock of birds gathering around the car.

"Shoo!" he whispered. "Go away!"

Unfortunately, his request was not met as the birds began to create a tremendous amount of racket later on. The Thea Sisters began to wake up.

"Ugh!" Violet moaned. She kept her eyes closed tight.

"What time is it?" Paulina mumbled.

Pamela rubbed her stomach. "My tummy tells me it's breakfast time!"

Colette looked at Seba. "You are still awake? I can see the bags under your eyes!"

The human motioned to the windows. "I think we have more important matters to discuss other than my sleeping conditions."

Nicky rolled over, stretched and yawned. Then, she shouted:

 **"BE QUIEEEEET!"**

Instantly, the birds fluttered and rose in flight to reveal the sunlight.

"What was that?" Violet cried, wincing at the sun.

Seba explained what happened as they watched the birds fly away.

"I have got to get a picture of this!" said Colette. She reached for the door handle and hopped out.

 **SPLASH!**

"Eeeeek!" shrieked Colette as she fell out of the car. There was water everywhere!

Nicky reached over and helped her back in. "Are you okay, Colette?"

"Do I look okay?!" the French mouselet screeched. "I just took a bath in a swamp!"

Violet grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her friend while Paulina offered her a sip of juice. After a few minutes, Colette was calm again.

Pam tuned to Nicky. "What happened? How did we end up in a lake?"

"It's not a lake," the native mouselet explained. "It's a billabong. Billabongs are big puddles that form after rainstorms. They're not very deep, but they're enormouse!"

"Well if the water's shallow, then we can keep on driving." said Pam.

Both Seba and Nicky shook their heads.

"This isn't like the concrete road. We're on rough soil." Seba replied.

Nicky nodded in agreement. "It's too risky. We could drive into a huge pothole and the SUV could sink or there could be crocodiles."

"CROCODILES?!" Colette exclaimed in fear.

Nicky nodded. "This is terrible! We're stuck here until help comes along. And the sheep are probably getting sicker by the minute. What do we do?"

Seba raised his hand up slowly.

"You are not going to wrestle the crocodiles." Violet said firmly, shooting him a stern look.

The hand was slowly lowered down.

Paulina put a paw around Nicky. She looked at the others for help, but no one knew what to do.

Then suddenly, Pamela leaped up. "Hey, Sisters!" she exclaimed. "What did that rodent from the car rental shop say?"

Colette frowned. "I think he said, 'This baby has got everything you need for an absolutely fabumouse adventure!'"

"Well then, it's time to put it to the test!" Pamela declared.

And with that, she pushed open the ceiling hatch and climbed out onto the SUV's roof. Seba's eyes widened in realization as he joined her.

"What are you doing out there?" Colette asked, sticking her snout through the hatch.

"There's a lot of gear in this roof rack!" Pam exclaimed as she and the human dug through the bundle strapped to the SUV's roof. There was a first aid kid, a compass and helmets.

"Everything we need on an adventure." Seba muttered.

"Holey cheese!" Pamela cried. "There's a raft! A real blow-up raft with oars!"

"You mean...you want us to row all the way to Nepabunna?" Violet asked anxiously. "Through the crocodiles?"

"Not all the way to Nepabunna," Pam reassured her. "Just to that mountain."

Her friends looked at where Pam was pointing. It was not very far from the SUV.

"Great idea, Pam!" Nicky exclaimed. "That's Saint Mary's Peak, the highest mountain in the Flinders Ranges. We can climb it since the billabong can't extend all the way to the other side. And there's a road over there. We can get a ride to the nearest town."

Paulina, Violet and Seba were nodding but Colette looked worried. "Are we going to have to climb with our bare paws?"

Pam just grinned. "No worries, Colette! Look what I found." She pulled out ropes, nails and crampons. The roof rack had everything they'd need for a mountain climb.

Seba and the Thea Sisters clambered into the raft as Pam steered it toward the mountain. She was brimming with excitement. "Admit it, mouselings and human. We're paddling in a raft in the outback and we're about to climb a famouse mountain. This has got to be our greatest adventure ever!"

Seba shrugged. "Who knows? There might be more excellent adventures we can have in the future."

The enthusiasm was contagious. The sky was clear after the storm and the cool air gave the youngsters a burst of energy.

"It feels good to move my paws after so many hours sitting in planes, trains and SUVs," said Paulina.

"Speaking of which, I better get back to training soon." Seba reminded himself.

Everyone agreed. Well, almost everyone.

"I cannot wait to get back to civilization," moaned Colette with a large pout. "Just look at my fur! It's all matted and muddy."

"Colette, even on a bad fur day, you look zillion times better than I do," said Violet.

"It's true. We've been on a date before so I should know." Seba added.

The Chinese mouselet pulled something out of the bottom of the raft. "Look! This pink helmet looks as if it was made just for you."

That statement made Seba briefly unnerved. Did the salesmouse from the car rental have psychic powers?

However, Colette put it on and smiled. "Pink _is_ my favorite color!" She turned to hug her friend. "Thanks, Violet. You are the best!"

Pamela looked at Seba. "But you mentioned a date with her. Care to tell me?"

Seba shot her a look. "You tell me, considering that you all planned for me a date with her just so you can get rid of my cigarettes."

Nicky gave him a playful glare. "It was for your own good and we all know it."

"Yes, I am grateful for that. But you should've told me the truth rather than lying about a Green Mice meeting." The human shot back.

This argument went on while Pamela tried to keep the peace between them.

* * *

An hour later, they reached the mountain. Pam had been mountain climbing a few times before, so she was in charge of checking everyone's equipment. As Nicky began to lead the others up the mountain, Pam made them dizzy with her advice.

"Never take off your helmet! Never take climbing lightly! Never climb during bad weather! Never underestimate a mountain! Never forget your first aid kit!"

Pam felt responsible for taking care of her friends and her friends felt responsible for rolling their eyes at all of her advice that they already know!

* * *

"One last try, Pam! You can do it! Come on, you're almost there!"

Violet was the first to make it to the top, with Paulina and Seba right behind her. Pamela couldn't believe those three had passed her. She gritted her teeth, curled her tail and pulled herself to the top.

"How *huff* did you do it?" she panted as she bent over to catch her breath.

"I've trained in Tibet." Seba answered. "Climb up the mountain and practiced with the monks."

Everyone was looking at him with surprised, but he merely shrugged. When Pam stood up, she gaped at the breathtaking panorama before her.

"Incredible!" she exclaimed.

"Stupendous!" whispered Paulina.

"Magnificent!" Violet said, sighing.

"Fabumouse!" gasped Nicky.

"Excelsior!" yelled Seba.

Colette looked down from the top before giving a horrified expression.

"Boules de Brie moisis, more water?!" she cried.

She was right. The billabong extended all the way to the other side of Saint Mary's Peak. It was immense. A forest of trees and rocky peaks peeped up from below the water's surface.

The mouselings and human were silent for a moment. They were awestruck by the sight before them. Then in the distance, they noticed a hydroplane approaching them. The boat was powered by a propeller that looked like an enormous fan.

Nicky jumped for joy when she saw it. "Kissing kangaroos! It's Mitch!"

Seba looked at her. "Another one of your cousins?"

She nodded. Mitch was a tall, friendly mouse with a furdo of tightly knitted braids.

"I'm sure Doctor Ted put him on our trail," said Nicky. "Hooray! We're rescued!" She started waving frantically, trying to signal her cousin.

She was right. Doctor Ted had radioed Mitch and asked him to look out for Nicky and her friends.

An hour later, the six of them were continuing their journey on Mitch's hydroplane. The flooded landscape was surreal as they passed by their surroundings.

"I feel like I'm in a dream," Paulina said with a sigh.

Violet nodded. "And I don't ever want to wake up!"

Seba shuddered. "Better than a fever dream."

As the sun began to set, the little group finally reached the end of the billabong just right on the edge of a highway.

"This is a good place to find a ride," Mitch said.

Pamela, Violet, Paulina, Colette and Seba looked at one another in confusion. But they decided to wait to see what would happen.

After a few minutes, a dot appeared on the horizon.

"A camper!" Paulina called out.

"It's covered with flowers!" noted Colette.

"It's Billy!" exclaimed Nicky.

Billy helped the six friends into the camper. Then he told them some bad news.

"All the streets are blocked," he announced. "We have to spend the night in Curdimurka. Tonight is the night of the Outback Ball. Sick sheep or no sick sheep, you shouldn't miss it!"

"The Outback Ball?" Colette asked. "What's that?"

"Every two years, the Outback Ball takes place in Curdimurka," explained Nicky. "It's a traditional celebration that's very popular in Australia."

As they approached Curdimurka, they saw tons of rodents crowding the streets.

"You're right. There's like a ton of them all over here." Seba commented.

Everyone wanted to be part of the Outback Ball. Everyone expect Nicky. She was thinking of her sick sheep and how she had to find a cure in a hurry. She didn't want to lose another second. Violet could tell her friend was distressed.

So she leaned in close. "There's an old Chinese proverb that goes like this: If you can't go where you want, stay where you are."

Nicky looked at her, puzzled.

"You're here now and you can't do anything about it," Violet explained. "So try to enjoy it!"

The Aussie mouselet nodded slowly. Violet was right. The only thing to do was to enjoy today and continue on their journey tomorrow.

"Okay, let's have a good time!" declared Nicky as they all hopped out of the camper and she began showing her friends around.

What an incredible place it was. There was music, contests, carousels, toys and games. And to Pamela's delight, there were hundreds of different delicious things to eat.

The six friends were quickly drawn into the excitement. The Thea Sisters were all squeaking at once, pointing at booths they wanted to visit. Only Colette was quiet.

"Are you okay, Colette?" asked Nicky. "You look a little down in the snout."

Seba had noticed. Ever since they began their journey, the French mouselet looked less excited than she originally was.

His concerns were confirmed as Colette finally broke down in tears. "No, I am not okay! I cannot go to a ball like this! I look like I went swimming in a swamp!"

"That's because you did." muttered Violet. Paulina giggled, but Seba gave both of them light smacks on their heads.

"Listen, Colette," Nicky said seriously, comforting the crying mouseling. "I gave you my word that if there was a dance, I'd worry about your clothes. So snout up! I'm a rodent of my word."

She smiled as she jumped on a van that was parked nearby and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Hey, rodents!" Nicky had quite a voice that made everyone stop talking to turn to look at her. "My friend is here from a faraway place. She comes from France!"

A murmur passed through the crowd. "From France?"

Nicky had to shout again. "Yes, France! The fashion capital of the world! So you can understand how upset this lovely mouseling is since she doesn't have anything to wear to the ball. Let's show her true Australian hospitality! She needs pink clothes! Understand? PINK!"

There was a moment of silence as that sank in. Then, the competition began.

"I have a pink jacket!" shouted a young rodent.

"Is a rhinestone belt okay?" asked a tiny mouseling.

"I've got a shawl!" cried an older mouse.

A kind rat hawking cheese sticks offered his camper as a dressing room. Colette gladly accepted. She knew just what she needed to do first: wash her fur! Then her friends helped her pick out the perfect look.

When she came out, she looked really stunning and elegant.

"Darling, you look absolutely fabumouse!" cried Nicky.

"I'm sure any ratlings our age would ask you to dance with them." added Seba.

Colette beamed at the compliments. "Thanks, you two!"

The ball began and it was a blast! Seba and the Thea Sisters danced the night away, moving to the rhythm of a thousand different beats. Around midnight, Violet and Seba looked around them. In all the confusion, they had lost their friends!

"Pam? Nicky?" Violet called out.

"Polly? Coco!" Seba was louder, but had no avail.

The crowd was too noisy!

Both of them felt lost than in their first days at Mouseford. They had to stick together so they don't lose each other. As they frantically searched through the sea of mice, the crowd began to move like a wave. Then everyone burst into applause. Both of them had no idea what was happening until she heard a booming squeak over the loudspeaker.

"Come one, come all! It's time to award the prize for the best-dressed rodent at the ball!"

"Who do you think it will be?" someone near Violet asked.

"It's got to be that cute blond mouseling from France!" answered another. "She's the most stylish rodent I've ever seen!"

"Oh, that's right. The one dressed all in pink," the first mouse said.

"You mean Colette!" exclaimed Violet.

"But where is she?" Seba wondered.

The question was answered a moment later. Colette was scurrying onstage to collect her prize!

"That's her!" cried Violet as she dragged Seba to make way through the crowd. Rodents moved aside to let them through.

They were relieved to find Nicky, Paulina, Pamela and Billy standing right in front of the stage. Everyone was clapping wildly. Colette was as beautiful as a movie star!

Other prizes were given out too. Pam was voted the most popular rodent at the ball. Nicky got the prize for the sportiest. And Paulina took lots of photos. It was a night to remember!

* * *

In front of Curdimurka's train station, you could hear music of a sort:

Zzzzz...

It was a concert of snores. Pamela, Violet, Colette, Paulina and Billy were sound asleep. So were dozens of other rodents. Everyone was counting sheep. But Nicky was wide-awake. Her head was filled with thoughts of her sheep, her parents, and the ranch that was in danger of being lost forever. She looked at Seba, who looked back at her from his sketchbook. They shared a nod.

In the station's lobby, Billy was snoozing away. Nicky shook him gently by the tail. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. But Billy didn't move.

Colette slowly woke up and tried to help her. She shouted in Billy's ear. "Yoohoo! Billy!"

"Sssshhhhh!" said Paulina, covering her eyes with her paws. "We're very sleepy!"

The French mouselet tried to be quiet, but it wasn't easy. "Hey, Billy!" she whispered. "Wake up!"

Nicky kept trying to rouse her friends, but Paulina, Violet and Pamela complained. "We're too sleepy!"

She was starting to get impatient. Before she could shout, a hand was placed on her shoulder. Nicky turned to see Seba with an air horn in his other hand. He motioned them to plug their ears in. Nicky and Colette did so.

3...

2...

1...

 **HOOOOONK!**

The three Thea Sisters had immediately woken up and jumped off the bench. Raising their heads, they glared at Seba. He raised his arm and pointed to the camper, as if telling them to get in now. They sighed as they gathered their bags.

As for Billy, nothing seemed to work. So Seba picked him up and threw him in the back in the camper. He was still asleep even after he landed.

"Okay, let's go!" Nicky said. "Colette, you're in charge of the road map. We're off to Nepabunna!"

She carefully turned on the engine since she didn't want to disturb anyone.

 **VROOOOM!**

All around the station, sleepers woke up.

"Shh!" one shouted.

"We're very sleepy!" cried another.

"Oops!" squeaked Nicky. "Sorry about that!"

"Smooth, Nicky. Smooth." Seba muttered.

But almost before she finished squeaking, they were all asleep again. At least, for a moment. There was another loud sound of the engine and the sleepers picked up their snouts again.

"Shhhhh!" one shouted.

"We are very sleepy!" cried another.

"It wasn't me this time! I swear!" Nicky cried.

"I think it came from up there." Seba said, pointing up to the sky. Nicky looked up and recognized the plane that was taking off.

It was Mortimer MacCardigan!

Nicky became even more determined to get to Nepabunna. She raced out of Curdimurka at top speed until...

 **PUTT!**

 **PUTT!**

 **PUTT!**

 **PUMPF!**

The camper came to a dead stop. It had run out of gas! Nicky was so anxious to get to Nepabunna, she had forgotten to check the tank.

"Argh! What a drongo!" she cried.

"What is she talking about?" Violet whispered to Paulina.

"I think it's Australian for 'idiot,'" Paulina whispered back.

"Of all the stupid things I've ever done, this is the stupidest!" Nicky yelled, banging her paws on the wheel.

"Don't blame yourself." Seba said. "We all didn't know about the empty tank."

Billy chose that moment to wake up at last. "Huh? Where are we?"

"We're halfway to Nepabunna and we ran out of gas!" cried a frustrated Nicky.

"There must be a gas station along the way," volunteered Pamela. "I'll scamper off, get a gallon and come right back."

"I'll go too." Seba suggested. "We might need extra fuel in case stuff happens."

"Good idea," Billy said, yawning. "I think there may be one about fifteen miles away."

"Fifteen miles?" said Pam, frowning. "That's a long way. Are you sure there isn't one any closer?"

Nicky was in despair. Her friends tried to comfort her.

"It's going to be okay, Nic," Paulina assured her. "We'll think of something."

The human looked at Billy. "Is there any way to get help?"

Billy thought about it and smiled. "The radio!" he exclaimed as he grabbed onto it. "Mitch! We need you!"

Half an hour later, Mitch arrived in his jeep to rescue them.

"Thanks for the help, Mitch." Seba said as he bumped his fist with Mitch's paw.

"No problem. Anything to help my cousin's ranch." he replied as he looked at a happier Nicky.

Billy filled the tank with extra gas Mitch kept in his backseat. Then he said goodbye to Nicky and her friends and headed back to the ranch. Mitch would drive the mouselings and human to Nepabunna.

Nicky sighed with relief. Her mission was almost over! In a little while, she'd meet Naya's clan elders. She was sure they'd know a cure for the sheep. Soon, the paved road turned into a path. They were getting closer!

The six friends had to proceed on paw and foot, along with a thick cloud of flies, horseflies, gadflies, tiger mosquitoes, gnats, wasps, bees, gigantic hornets and other kinds of insects. Seba felt someone watching them.

However, his thoughts were broken as some Aborigine mouselings appeared. Their hair and bodies were covered with dried mud.

"Hmm..." pondered Colette. "I wonder if it is a fashion statement?"

"I swear you and Pamela are almost alike." Seba muttered. Pam was all about food while Colette was the fashion fanatic.

Mitch laughed. "The mud actually serves a purpose. It protects these little mice from insect bites and sunburns."

Together the mouselings greeted the park ranger. "Hi, Uncle Mitch!"

"They're Naya's great-great-grandchildren," Mitch explained to Seba and the Thea Sisters.

"Are all Australians related to you?" asked Pamela incredulously.

Mitch just laughed. "No, but it seems that way sometimes!"

The kids greeted the Thea Sisters in chorus: "Hello, strangers with odd-looking snouts! You look really far out!"

Their gaze turned towards Seba before they crowded around.

"Woah, take it easy little ones." Seba said, trying to calm the excited mouselings down.

"What are you?" one of the mouselings asked, poking him.

"Me?" he said before giving an exaggerated pose, with flexing. "I'm a human!"

The little mouselings were in awe while Mitch and the Thea Sisters giggled at his antics. Soon, the little ones scampered off, laughing as something caught their eyes.

Pamela shivered. She'd realized the Aborigine mice were running after enormous hairy spiders.

Violet knew Pamela was afraid of insects.

"Don't worry," whispered Violet, taking Pam's paw. "I'll protect you!"

Pam calmed down and smiled at her. "Thanks, Vi."

Soon, Mitch and the Thea Sisters followed the Aborigine mouselings' path. Seba had bug spray all over them. Twenty minutes later, they reached the Aborigines' camp. Naya's message had already reached the camp, so the six of them were expected. It was dinnertime and the delicious smell of cheese stew made their mouths water.

"Hurrah!" cried Pam. "We're eating!"

They fell on the stew like a pack of hungry field mice.

A young Aborigine mouse came and greeted Seba and the Thea Sisters. She was short and slender and wore a beautiful flowered dress.

"This is my fiancee, Lily." Mitch introduced.

"You sure had quite a catch." Seba complimented. Both soon to be weds had blushed at that comment.

"It's great to meet you, Lily!" greeted Nicky. "But where are the clan's elders?"

"They are away on an important journey," Lily answered, shaking off the blush on her snout. "I'm not sure when they'll be back."

Nicky was crushed. "But I have to talk with them! I came hundreds of miles to meet them!" It was all she could do not to start sobbing like a tiny mouseling.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you where they are." Lily said sympathetically.

"Why not?" Seba questioned.

"It's a secret place that only members of the clan can visit." she answered.

"But my grandmother is a member of the clan!" Nicky protested.

"I'm very sorry, Nicky," said Lily. "But it's not for me to decide. You'll need more to proof to show it."

A tear trickled down Nicky's snout as she was on the verge to tears. Suddenly, an idea popped into Violet's head as she quickly pulled Nicky aside.

"The necklace! Show her the necklace Naya gave you!" she told her.

With everything that had happened, Nicky had forgotten all about the necklace as she pulled it out.

"Look!" she exclaimed. "My grandmother gave this to me!"

Lily gazed at the necklace in surprise as she took it to get a better look. "I'm so glad you showed this to me, Nicky! This medallion means that you are a trusted member of our clan. It changes everything."

"Hooray!" cried Paulina.

"So you can tell us where they are, right?" Seba inquired.

Lily nodded. "The elders have gone to Uluru, the Great Red Rock."

"I know Uluru!" exclaimed Nicky. "It's a famouse Australian landmark."

"To see the elders, you have to find the mountain inside the mountain." Lily explained.

"A mountain inside a mountain?" Seba repeated, scratching his bemused head. Was that even remotely possible?

She pointed to the desert mouse carved in Naya's necklace. "This is show you the way."

"I don't get it," Nicky said. "How?"

"Don't worry," Lily reassured her as she handed back the necklace. "When the time comes, you'll understand."

"But why not trust us with this information though?" Seba asked.

She shook her head. "It's not that I trust you all. It's a safety precaution we need to take since there have been outsiders that have tried to steal from our clans."

While Lily, Nicky and Seba were talking, Pamela was rummaging through her backpack.

 **"SQUEEEEAAK!"**

She had touched an enormous hairy spider! She turned her backpack inside out and the spider ran away. It quickly scurried into the woods.

A moment later, they heard another shriek.

 **"SQUEEEAK! GET IT OFF ME!"**

It was Mortimer MacCardigan!

He'd been busy spying on Nicky when the enormous hairy spider jumped right on his snout. The Thea Sisters watched as Mortimer scamper away with his tail between his legs.

The human was laughing at the misfortune.

"Haha! You better run, you sewer rat! Serves you right for sneaking right behind us!" Seba exclaimed in glee.

* * *

Night was falling as the six friends settled in to spend the night. But try as she might, Nicky and Seba could not fall asleep. She checked and rechecked her map. The distance from Nepabunna to Uluru looked immense.

"Something is worrying her." Lily pondered, worried about her future relative.

Paulina quickly explained about Nicky's sheep. "She's afraid she won't be in time! Her sheep need medicine right now!"

"With the perpetrator right on our trail, the difficulty had just increased for our journey." Seba added, still looking out to see if Mortimer was around.

As soon as she heard this, Lily pointed to a long, hollow eucalyptus branch. It was decorated with a thousand dots.

"Oh, I know what that is!" Pamela said. "It's a giggiridu!"

"Actually, it's a didgeridoo." Mitch corrected as he grabbed the instrument and blew forcefully into it. It vibrated, emitting a low and powerful sound.

A few moments later, another didgeridoo answered like a distant echo

He turned to Nicky. "I found you a ride! You'll leave tomorrow morning on Doctor Ted's plane."

Nicky threw her paws around her cousin. "Thank you, Mitch! Thank you so much!"

With her heart at peace at last, Nicky quickly fell into a sound sleep. So did her friends. They were all exhausted from their long day of traveling.

* * *

The next morning, the entire clan showed up to wish Seba and the Thea Sisters well. The little Aborigine mouselings sang to them once more.

"Hello strangers with odd-looking snouts, you look really far out!"

Mitch and Lily took the six visitors to the nearest landing strip. Doctor Ted was already waiting for them.

"Ted! How was your adventure?" Seba greeted.

He shook his head. "Totally bogus. That was a false call."

Seba scowled. He knew who was responsible for that.

Nicky gave Mitch and Lily each a big hug. All six of them thanked their new friends.

"You really make a great couple!" Pam told the pair.

"Thank you so much for all your help and for your friendship," Violet said sincerely.

"True friends are truly precious!" said Lily, smiling.

"Send us some postcards from your honeymoon!" Seba exclaimed, causing the young couple to blush even more.

They took a group picture for the memories.

* * *

As their plane zoomed towards Uluru, Nicky peered out of the window. She knew that Mortimer MacCardigan was following them. He knew where they were headed, and she was sure that they hadn't seen the last of him.

Seba looked at her and placed a hand on her paw. "Don't worry. We'll reach there before he can."

Nicky looked back at him and smiled with a nod. They needed to focus on the mission.

* * *

Seba and the Thea Sisters reached Uluru when the sun was still high in the sky. Doctor Ted had received another urgent call. So he said goodbye and quickly took off again.

Nicky wiped the sweat from her snout. "It's too hot!" she exclaimed. "We'd better wait until the sun goes down. Let's rest a little."

Everyone dropped their packs in the shade and sat down.

"Look at this rock!" Colette gushed. "It is amazing!"

"It's a rock." Seba deadpanned. "How can you be excited over a rock? I swear, the heat must be going to your head."

As the rest of the girls squeaked away, Seba noticed Nicky thinking of something. She remembered Lily's mysterious words, but couldn't make snouts and tails of them.

"Look for the mountain inside the mountain. It will show you the way." she recited.

Taking out Naya's necklace, she gazed at the desert mouse on the medallion. How could it show her the way? Try as she might, she just couldn't figure it out.

She hadn't even notice the human approach her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She broke out and looked at him before shaking her head. "It's nothing. Just thinking about Lily's words."

Seba looked at the necklace. "Don't overthink it. You'll strain yourself too much."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You mean become as laidback as you?"

The human scoffed. "Better than having your brain fried."

Nicky gave a soft smile. "I'll try."

Finally, the sun dipped low over the horizon. Uluru looked more imposing and mysterious than ever. In the light of dusk, it looked like a mountain of fire!

Nicky pulled out a pair of binoculars and began examining the many grooves and gorges on Uluru. She was hoping to find a passageway into the mountain. On one side of the mountain, Nicky found a crack big enough for a small rodent to fit through.

She handed the binoculars to Paulina. "Take a look. Maybe the passage into the mountain is through that crack."

Paulina studied the crack with the binoculars for a long time. "It could be. But how do we know which is the right crack?"

"Lily said the mouse on the necklace would show you the way." Pamela said.

Violet was taking a turn with the binoculars. She focused them on one crack after another, noticing some odd-looking markings. She focused again.

"Cheese dumplings with soy sauce!" Violet cried, passing the binoculars back to Nicky. "Do you see what I see?"

Nicky looked. A moment later, she widened her eyes in surprise. The place Violet had indicated was covered with ancient Aborigine painting! There were wavy lines, spirals, turtles, lizards, eagles and snakes.

But above all, there were lots of desert mice just like the one carved on Naya's necklace!

"I noticed that some of the desert mice have different tails." Seba observed.

"Let's go check it out," Paulina suggested. "If we see those desert mice up close, maybe we'll find a clue to the way in."

Nicky and her friends began hiking toward the sacred mountain, heading in the direction of the rodent paintings. Soon the side covered with painting was just above them.

Paulina was right. There were lots of little mice!

They examined them closely.

"This one has a curved tail." Pamela said.

"This one has a straight tail." Violet pointed out.

"This one has an arrow tail," observed Colette. "Just like the one on the medallion!"

Nicky and Paulina came closer to take a better look.

"You're absolutely right!" exclaimed Paulina. "Good for you, Colette!"

"Maybe we should try following the direction the arrow-tailed mice are pointing," Nicky said slowly. "Perhaps they'll be the ones to show us the way!"

Seba's eyes lit up in realization. "Lily's words!"

Violet clapped her paws together. "What a fabumouse idea!"

"That's it, Nic," Paulina squeaked, squeezing her friend's paw. "I'm sure of it. You figured it out!" She looked down. There was a rough-looking path on the ground right in front of them. "Look!"

"A passage between the rocks!" cried Nicky.

The setting sun lit a tiny crack that opened into the rocks right where the desert mice were pointing. Seba and the Thea Sisters felt their ears quiver with anticipation.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Pamela asked. "Let's go!"

One by one, the six friends squeezed into the crack and scurried along the path. After turning a corner, they found themselves in front of another crack in the rock. It led to a very narrow and dark passageway.

"Uluru is a sacred mountain." Violet said uncertainly. "Maybe it's not right to go any further."

"But we're not being disrespectful!" Pamela protested.

Seba nodded in agreement. "Besides, we've made it this far. It's too soon to turn back."

"We're on a mission and this medallion is proof of our good faith," Nicky said, touching the necklace. "Naya told us it would protect us. Let's go in and find the elders!"

The six friends held paws (hand in Seba's case) for a moment.

"Friends together! Mice forever!" the mouselings exclaimed.

Seba raised his eyebrow a bit. "Personally, I prefer 'Friendship is magic'. But that works too."

The others rolled their eyes as Nicky took a deep breath with a flashlight in paw. One by one, each of them had slid into the dark passageway.

* * *

The passageway sloped deep underground into the heart of the mountain. As the human and mouselings crept carefully along, the ground beneath their paws became steeper and more slippery.

Suddenly, something moved in the shadows.

"What's that?!" cried Pamela as fear began to grow inside her.

Nicky pointed her flashlight toward one wall of the passage. Seba sighed as he plugged his ears with his fingers. The wall was covered with enormous, gigantic millipedes.

 **"SQUEEEEEAK!"**

All her friends gathered around to protect her.

"Do not worry, Pam!" Colette said.

"Remember, friends together, mice forever!" Violet added.

"Just close your eyes and recite the food groups." Seba advised.

Pamela did so and began to calm down.

Once that was over with, the six friends continued on their way. The tunnel became narrower. It was giving Nicky the chills since she was claustrophobic. She couldn't stand tight spaces.

Paulina held her friend's paw. "Just a little further, Nicky!"

The six friends continued to scurry along the narrow underground tunnel. They had no clue where it would take them.

"I feel like a rat in a maze." Pam remarked.

"Me too," said Violet. "I'm exhausted. I can't go on much farther."

"It's just a little farther," said Paulina encouragingly. "Come on! We can do it!"

Just then, the tunnel ended. The six of them found themselves in a huge, dark cave lit only by a few small fires. Some Aborigines were gathered around each one. Their snouts were decorated with white and yellow paint.

The young explorers were speechless. So this was the mountain inside the mountain! They stood as still as stones, taking it all in.

Then they heard a voice behind them.

"Hello, strangers! Are you looking for something?"

They turned to see three elder Aborigines. All three had long white fur tied in knots on top of their heads.

"I'm Boba," said the skinny one.

"I'm Louisa," said the female.

"I'm Napa," said the stout one.

"It's an honor to meet all three of you," said Nicky. "My friends and I came all this way to talk to the wise elders of my grandmother Naya's clan. Can you point them out to us?"

Boba laughed. "No need to point."

Napa nodded. "We're the elders!"

Louisa gestured to the closest fire. "Come tell us why you have come."

Boba offered the six visitors some delicious soup. As they ate, Nicky showed the elders her necklace and told them all about her quest.

"Naya told me there is a root that heals all illnesses, even lead poisoning. And she you could help me find it."

The three wise ones looked at one another and started to laugh, leaving her confused.

"I'm sorry, my dear," said Boba. "We don't mean to laugh at you. It's just that the root has been with you all the time." He pointed to Nicky's necklace.

Nicky couldn't believe her ears. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"The necklace is made with the root you are seeking." Napa explained.

This news left the youngsters speechless.

"So we were on a quest that's already been fulfilled?!" Seba roared.

"I cannot believe we came all this way for something we have had all along!" Colette exclaimed.

Pam nodded. "But wasn't it a fabumouse adventure?"

Seba sighed as he slumped onto the wall of the cave. "I guess so. We've met a lot of friends here."

Louisa told Nicky what to do to help her sheep. "Take some seeds from the necklace and cook them. A few should be enough for twenty-ive gallons of water. Let the mixture boil very slowly for three hours. If you want, you can add a pinch of cheese. Your sheep will love it."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" exclaimed Nicky as she turned back to her friends. "Okay, let's go back! The sheep are waiting for us."

But at that very second, a frantic shriek echoed through the cavern.

 **"HELP!"**

A mouse their age ran into the elders' cave.

"Nicky!" he gasped. "What my father did to you was wrong and I am so sorry! But please, in the name of our old friendship, please help me! My father's stuck in a gorge. Will you help me pull him out?"

'So this is Nate MacCardigan, Nicky's childhood friend.' Seba thought.

Nicky didn't think twice as she grabbed a rope and looked at the three wise ones, silently asking their permission. They gave a smile and nodded.

* * *

Nate, Nicky and Seba rushed through the passageways, heading toward Mortimer MacCardigan. Getting Mortimer turned out to be easy. The hard part was convincing him to let Nicky help!

"I don't trust that busymouse!" Mortimer shrieked. "She'll help pull me up and then she'll drop me flat on my snout!"

"She won't, dad," Nate assured her. "She only wants to help you. I swear!"

Nicky nodded. "Nate's right, Mr. MacCardigan."

Seba, however, was more brutally honest. "Listen, you insignificant buffoon. You've caused a lot of trouble for me and my friends by almost killing Nicky's sheep. You can go ahead and stay down there for the rest of your life but I know that Nicky won't forgive me for that. So you better grab onto the rope or I will come down there and beat you senseless! GOT IT?!"

Mortimer MacCardigan had immediately gave in, out of the fear that he might live up to what he said. The three rescuers tossed the rope down to him and he grabbed it. With all their strength, they pulled him up and Mortimer was safe.

Nate and his father hugged before they all went back to the cave, where the elders and Nicky's friends were waiting anxiously. When they saw Nicky and Seba safe, they let out a cheer.

Now it really was time for goodbyes. The wise ones gave Seba and the Thea Sisters six special necklaces: symbols of eternal friendship.

Colette fastened hers around her neck right away. "I am never going to take it off," she declared. "Something like this never goes out of style!"

Louisa squeezed Nicky's paw and said, "Go now, little one. Your sheep need you."

* * *

Seba and the Thea Sisters hurried back to the ranch. No sooner had they arrived than Nicky and Naya whipped up a batch of seed soup. The sheep loved it! Within a few days, their wool began to grow in thick and luxurious. The sheep could enter the Grand Shearing contest and Naya could sell the wool.

The ranch was saved!

The six friends took turns telling Naya the tale of their fabulous adventure to Nepabunna. Nicky's parents called and she filled them in. Her father and mother couldn't wait to see Nicky and to meet her extraordinary friends.

Naya hugged Nicky. "I'm proud of you!"

"It was all because of your necklace, Naya!" answered Nicky as she gave it back to her grandmother.

Naya shook her snout, smiling. "You mean your necklace, my little cheese dumpling. This belongs to you now! You've earned it!"

Nicky's eyes filled with tears of joy.

* * *

Naya threw a huge party to celebrate the sheep's recovery. She cooked all day to prepare the feasst. She even asked a band called 'The Desert Mice' to come play.

Practically everyone Seba and the Thea Sisters had met during their adventure were invited: Doctor Ted, Lily, Mitch and even Billy in his flowered camper.

Violet played the violin, while Pamela accompanied her on clapsticks and Seba on the didgeridoo. Paulina and Colette sang alongside each other. For the grand finale, Nicky performed some acrobatic tricks on horseback.

It was truly fabulous!

At midnight, the partygoers heard a plane flying over the farm. It came closer and closer.

It was Mortimer MacCardigan! And he was lowering a big barrel over the side.

"Not again!" Nicky gasped.

The barrel touched the ground gently and rolled in front of the band.

The Desert Mice stopped playing. For a moment, no one moved. Everyone just stared at the barrel.

Seba sighed at such an overdramatic scene as he went to read the note. As he read the note, a soft smile graced his lips.

Nicky had noticed. "What's it say?"

The human looked at her. "No worries. I think Mortimer's learned his lesson."

Nicky went to read the note as Seba showed it to her.

 _ **Dear Nicky,**_

 _ **I'm sorry I tried to hurt your ranch. The truth is, I was jealous of your sheep. Now I understand I was in the wrong. Please accept this gift for your party. I hope one day you can forgive me.**_

 _ **Mortimer MacCardigan**_

Nicky smiled as she and her friends peered inside the barrel. It was full of cheese.

Everyone laughed.

Seba noticed something beside the barrel. "What's that?"

Attached to the barrel was a red rose with a note: To Nicky from Nate

As she smelled it, Nicky turned red from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tail. her friends winked at one another.

"What a heartbreaker you are, Nic!" Colette exclaimed as the rest of the Thea Sisters giggled at Nicky's flustered reaction.

A moment later, the band was playing again. Seba and the Thea Sisters all scampered onto the dance floor and started shaking their tails. They danced until the moon was low in the sky as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

As the sun rose, the fabulous Australian exploits of the six friends came to an end. It was an adventure none of them would ever forget.

The next day, they had left for Mouseford Academy. They had said their goodbyes to everyone in Australia with many hugs and waves.

"Take good care of my granddaughter, Seba." Naya said as she hugged the human.

"I won't let you down." he replied, a determined smile on his face.

It was time to get back to their school life. They had to study and take finals. But even their exams didn't scare them because they were together and because they were friends.

That's why Seba was going to make sure they study real good for the exams.


	4. Exam Shenanigans

**Days in Australia: Boomerang:**

Seba and Nicky stood outside the farm as they looked at the beautiful sky in the open fields. Nicky had a boomerang in her paw as the morning sun shone upon them.

"You wanted to see how the boomerang works, right?" Nicky asked as she fiddled around with the curved stick.

"Yeah. I hear that they return to the thrower after they reach their distance." Seba said.

"Well, I'll show you." With that, Nicky extended her arm and flung the boomerang into the air. It flew in quite a distance before they could see that the boomerang was returning. The Aussie mouseling managed to catch the flying stick. "See? It's quite easy."

"Can I try it?" Seba asked.

Nicky smiled and nodded as she gave him the boomerang. After taking aim and throwing it, the boomerang had went to the sky. However, the distance was so far that it was as if it had disappeared.

They waited...

And waited...

And waited...

Nothing happened.

"I might've threw that too far." Seba remarked.

"You said it." Nicky agreed.

"Well, we better return." he said.

Before anybody knew it, the boomerang had returned to it's owner. Unfortunately, it was not caught in time.

WHAM!

The boomerang slammed into his head and he landed unconscious.

Nicky flinched from witnessing the impact. She was going to need an ice pack for him when they get back.

* * *

 **Study Time With Seba:**

Everyone had settled in Nicky's room, having finish writing their Australian assignment and sending it to Thea Stilton herself. It was quite a lengthy report considering that their adventure was definitely a long one since they did travel quite a distance.

Nicky even got her a sweater that her grandmother, Naya, had knitted as a thank you gift for teaching them what they used to investigate the sheep incident.

With that, everything was back to normal and life at Mouseford went on as usual.

However...

* * *

"Alright, you five have to begin your studies now." said Seba as he placed the textbooks on the table. After finishing their assignments, they had to focus on their exams. However, they did not expect the human to immediately begin the group study. With them falling behind, they needed to get on track. And Seba decided to tutor them.

What they didn't expect is that Seba was a strict tutor.

Sure, he did pass the entrance exams. But was he really a genius? His profile said that he had keen intellect, but how keen was it to make him into a serious instructor?

"We'll have to revise the chapters one to four. Each chapter is quite long, but use references that you find useful." he told them. The mouselets blanched as they looked at the thick textbooks. One chapter was probably fifty pages long. How many chapters were in these books?!

"Good luck," Seba said as he laid on the beanbag chair and read a metal magazine. "If you need any questions, just ask me here."

The Thea Sisters looked bemused. Wasn't he studying with them?

"Aren't you going to study with us?" Nicky was the first to ask.

"I've already studied," was his nonchalant reply. "I always revise a chapter every night."

"I thought that you always drew your comics." said Paulina.

"I said that I study at night," Seba clarified. "Who on earth would actually have the gall to study at midnight?"

"And I suppose you can't do better?" Violet shot back, glaring at him. As a bookworm, she was quite offended at that.

"Wanna bet on it?" he challenged, looking lazy as usual.

"Deal!" Pamela exclaimed before anyone else could answer.

"Okay then. Winner has to get the highest score." Seba said.

The Thea Sisters huddled together to discuss this. The whispers were hushed and sounded slightly heated. In a few seconds, they turned to Seba and nodded.

"The loser has to do what the winner says." said Colette.

"Alright." the human answered. "Are you all going in on the bet against me?"

They nodded with determination.

"Okay. So it's me against the Thea Sisters, am I right?" he asked.

"Yeah, and we're gonna make you eat your own words." Pamela exclaimed with a confident smirk.

"Good to know. Now get back to studying." he said before going back to his magazine.

The mouselings looked really confident. They were going to make him do things without question.

Nicky was going to make him join Green Mice as a full-time member. With him already finished from smoking, having him join to help save the environment was a challenge for her. He did do stuff like recycling and going to animal shelters, but he was too cooped up with his comics to do so. This could be the chance to get him in.

Pamela wanted him to pay for an all you can eat buffet in the restaurant down the street. Those dishes look so amazingly delicious. At least she could save money with him paying for it. More snacks to come!

Violet didn't want anything from him. No, she wanted him to do something for her. Read the Da Vinci Code. She knew that he hated Dan Brown's books, but that's what he gets for making fun of bookworms who actually enjoy studying late at night.

Colette had been looking for someone to help her with her shopping. There were a lot of clothes she needed to buy and wear. They looked fabumouse!

There wasn't anything that Paulina wanted from Seba, though him accompanying her to a computer convention would be nice. Maybe she can get him to do that.

They all had the looks of confidence. They were totally going to win this.

* * *

All the students had gotten back their exam papers. There were whoops of joy and there were mutters of disappointment. Seba and the Thea Sisters had gathered in the cafeteria for lunch as they discussed their exam papers and what they got on the scores.

Nicky had scored sixty-seven percent.

Colette with a score of seventy-one percent.

Pamela had seventy-nine percent on the paper.

Paulina had a whooping eighty-six percent.

Violet passed with ninety-five percent.

"You really are smart, Violet." Paulina remarked.

"It's no big deal." the Chinese mouseling replied. "All I had to do was study."

"I studied and I'm not as smart as you." Nicky muttered.

"Don't worry, Nic," Pamela cheered her up. "We'll have to study even harder."

"What about you, Seba? How much did you get?" Colette asked.

"Here." the human handed them the paper. They all took a look and what they saw made their jaws drop.

 **"WHAT?!"**

On the front of the paper was a huge red hundred percent written in the score section.

"H-how did you manage to pass?!" Violet asked, trying to break out of her shock.

"Why do you think I'm called the "All-Knowing" Seba?" Seba replied. "I might be a martial artist, but I'm no dumb muscle."

He looked at the time on his phone and grinned.

"Oh yeah. How about we have hot pot dinner to celebrate on passing the exams?" He looked at them, grinning wider at the frozen shocks on their faces. "You five are paying."

Pamela broke out of her stupor when she heard that, whimpering at the fact that she's going to lose her snack money.

* * *

 **Comic Publishing:**

With the exams over, everyone was doing their own thing. However, nobody knew what Seba was doing since he was holed up in his room. So the Thea Sisters decided to pay him a visit. Using the key they were given by Professor de Mousus, they unlocked it and opened it. What they were greeted with had startled them.

There were papers scattered all over the room. Blankets were ruffled beyond belief and clothes were all over the floor.

Seba was on the floor, face first and a piece of folded paper in his hand.

Slowly, they approached the human and took the piece of paper to read it.

"Dear Mr. Silverstone," Paulina began. "We regret to inform you that your submission has not reached our surplus requirements. Please try again in the near future. From The Daily Rat."

"I've tried other publications, but they end up rejecting it." said the human. "What do I do now?"

"What comic is it?" Nicky asked. Hopefully it was not the bunny serial killer.

Seba handed them the comic strip. She was wrong. It was the bunny killer comic. When the others looked over to read it, they blanched at how bad this was.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"My advice? Make a new story." Violet said. His eyes widened. "This is all senseless gore that doesn't even make a new story."

"But bunny suit killers are all the rage now." Seba defended, though he sounded confused.

"That might be, but where can you even find a publisher that would accept a horror comic like this?" asked Colette.

"Beats me." he shrugged. "I'll just try and keep on submitting my works to other publishers."

"Have you tried The Rodent's Gazette?" Paulina asked.

He shook his head. "They're like the number one publishers. I highly doubt that they would actually accept it."

"Thea works there. Maybe she'll put in a good word." Nicky assured her.

"I hope you're right." he muttered.

* * *

His comic, Bunny Massacre, was successfully published by The Rodent's Gazette. However, it was a critical failure as it only ran for six strips. Despite this, it had gained a cult following for it's nonsensical violence.

Seba would publish his next comic, Black Wings. It was a dark fantasy romance about a young teenager who suddenly passes from an unknown sickness. He would become reincarnated into a dark feathered hero of justice. This became a huge success and is currently ongoing. Critics praised The Rodent's Gazette for taking the huge risk to publish something unexpected and the comic's mature themes and realistic interactions, making it a huge favorite for both gothic and mainstream viewers alike.


	5. The Ghost of the Shipwreck

**Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Ghost of the Shipwreck:**

Spring break had just ended and the students were returning to Mouseford Academy. The campus paths were dotted with brightly colored T-shirts and backpacks as students scurried around, greeting one another eagerly.

Professor Octavius de Mousus, the headmaster, stood at the academy's main entrance. He noticed some mouselings and a familiar human gathering in a corner of the campus garden. What was going on down there?

Just then, Colette scampered up to him, a big smile on her snout. "Hi, Professor! Would you like to join us in the garden? We are having a little snack of special Australian cheese! We have just returned from visiting Nicky at her family's sheep ranch."

Professor de Mousus followed Colette into the garden, where there was a table covered in food. The students and teachers were mingling, chatting and snacking.

"These cheddar crackers are delicious!"

"Did you try the feta Nicky's grandmother made?"

"Mmm...it's amazing!"

Colette, Nicky, Pamela and Paulina were busy telling all their friend about their recent adventures in Australia. The only ones who were off by themselves were Violet and Seba. Violet was chewing on a cheese stick and checking her watch while Seba was keeping her company.

Finally, she whispered to him. "I'm going to save some seats in the auditorium."

"Oh?" he muttered before deciding to tease her. "Excited to see HIM, are we?"

Violet blushed and slapped him on the arm before she hurried away.

Paulina noticed Violet leaving as before looking at the human. "Where is she going?"

Seba smirked at her. "Going to the auditorium."

She knew why Violet was going. "But why now?" she asked. "Professor Ian van Kraken's lecture doesn't start until eleven!"

His smirk grows even wider. "You'll see when we get there."

* * *

Professor Ian van Kraken was responsible for Tide House, the marine biology laboaratory that was an unofficial part of Mouseford Academy. Students loved attending his lectures because he was a fascinating speaker.

When Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina and Seba arrived, the auditorium was full. Luckily, Violet had saved five seats in the front row.

"Thanks, Vi!" said Nicky, slipping into the seat next to her.

Colette winked at Violet. She suspected her quiet friend had a spot as soft as Brie for their professor. "How long have you been waiting? Have you started growing roots?"

Violet didn't seem to hear her. She was completely focused on the bright blue eyes of Professor van Kraken, who was striding onstage. He was a tall, handsome mouse with a tuft of blond fur. Unfortunately for the mouselings crushing on him, his one true love was the sea.

"Today, I'm going to talk to you about one of Whale Island's most famouse legends," the professor began, "One day, toward the beginning of the sixteenth century, a terrible storm broke out in the waters off the island's western coast. A galleon named the Queen Mousy was heading toward India. Marius von Opul was on board, carrying a priceless treasure: Jasmine's Heart, an enormouse diamond shaped like a heart. This precious stone was a gift for Jasmine, his future wife."

"Legend has it that the storm pushed the galleon onto the cormorant rocks. The ship went down, and its treasure was never seen again! Today, there are rumors that the ghost of Marius von Opul still haunts those waters, searching for Jasmine's Heart."

* * *

Two hours had passed as Professor van Kraken was finishing up his lecture. "So every year at Turtle Beach, we are lucky enough to assist in the hatching of the sea turtle eggs. If my calculations are correct, the hatching will take place the day after tomorrow. I invite all interested students to accompany me to Turtle Beach to welcome the new babies. Afterwards, we can take a dip in the water!"

The thought of helping baby sea turtles make their way to the sea got everyone excited. The students broke into applause.

* * *

"What do you say, sisters? Let's go get our underwater equipment ready and put it in Pamela's SUV." Violet suggested as she and her friends filed out of the auditorium.

Nicky stared at her in disbelief. "NOW?! Violet, the thing with the professor isn't until the day after tomorrow!"

"You're right, but Professor Stilton always says it's good to prepare in advance!" Violet replied.

"Ugh..." Seba sighed. "I think it's..." He noticed Violet's glare. "...a swell idea!"

Professor van Kraken walked out of the auditorium. Violet turned so pale that Pamela was afraid that she was going to faint.

"Vi, are you okay?" she asked.

Before Violet could answer, Colette squeaked. "No, she is not. She has a crush on the professor!"

"Oooh, so that's what Seba meant." Paulina wondered.

A sigh was not exactly an answer, but Violet's was so long and deep that her friends understood immediately. Violet didn't have a crush.

To the Thea Sisters, a mega-crush!

To Seba, however, an obsession.

* * *

The human eventually decided to stop by at the Olde Cheddar Shop to pick up some snacks. Upon arriving there, he noticed the two oldest families of Whale Island, the Squids and the Whales, gossiping about something.

"Hey, what's the ruckus?" Seba asked as he approached them.

"Hello, Seba? How've you been?" Sardinia Squid, one of the sisters of the Squid family and a fishermouse, greeted him. She was also called Dinah for short by most mice here. Every Saturday, Seba would tutor her for the entrance exams for Mouseford Academy so that she can enroll. Like the Thea Sisters, she learned the hard way when she found out that the "All-Knowing" human was a strict teacher. "We were just talking about the new arrival on this island!"

"New arrival? Now I'm curious." Seba remarked as he sat with the families.

Apparently the new mouse in topic was Captain Coral, a charming seamouse who'd recently moved to the island. The minute his brand-new superfast hydrofoil ferry docked at the port, word got out that he was planning to open a new boating company, Whale Island Waterways.

Captain Coral was offering new routes with low prices for his hydrofoil ferry service, to the great excitement of the residents on the island. Previously, anyone who wanted to go to Mouse Island had to go through Vince Guymouse, captain and sole owner of Maritime Mouseportation. Everyone on the island liked Vince, but no one ever objected to a little friendly competition.

From behind the shop's counter, Oilskin Whale, also known as Smudge, said "The new hydrofoil ferry is much bigger and more powerful than Vince's. Think of all the tourists it could bring to the island!" Smudge was the owner of the Olde Cheddar Shop. He licked his whiskers in anticipation of new customers.

"It is bigger than a hydroplane, that's for sure." Seba muttered. "Plus Whale Island could use a bit more profit. The buildings could use more renovations and decorating."

"Captain Coral sure knows a lot about the sea!" commented Smudge's brother Leopold, who was a fishermouse.

The human shook his head. "Debatable, since Professor van Kraken's is a genius at everything about the sea."

"He's a very nice-looking rodent, too." said Dinah. Her sisters, Mary and Lavender nodded in agreement.

He raised an eyebrow. There were other good-looking mice around the island. Besides, wasn't he older than them?

From the darkest corner of the room, an unexpected voice shrilled that startled Seba. "A big loudsnout! That's what your Captain Coral is! A big loudsnout and nothing more!" It was the voice of Devon Whale, the father of the Whale clan. "He's been on the island just a few days and already he's sticking his snout into everything. Questions, questions, always questions! I don't like rodents who ask too many questions! Plus, when he smiles you can't see his teeth. He's hiding something or I'll be a sea monkey's uncle."

Seba was now interested. "Mr. Whale? What questions did he exactly ask?"

"And now you're askin' me questions?! Bah! And I thought that you were a smart one!" he grumbled. "Since you're a genuine lad, fine! Here's what he was askin'..."

* * *

Violet had to wait for a full two days before joining her fellow students at the beach to help Professor van Kraken with the hatching sea turtles. But when the time came at last, the professor was nowhere to be found! The students waited and waited, but eventually decided to return to the academy, feeling very disappointed.

Violet was more than disappointed, she was worried. "Something's wrong. It's not like the professor to just not show up. Something must have happened to him!"

"Violet, I am tempted to tease you, but I think that you might be right." said Colette.

Nicky nodded in agreement. "Professor van Kraken is usually as punctual as a cat at feeding time."

"And helping aquatic animals is like a delicious dish to him." Seba added.

"Let's tell Professor de Mousus," suggested Pam.

* * *

The headmaster didn't seem particularly worried. He dialed the number for Tide House, but there was no answer.

" I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," the headmaster told the six students. "The professor is probably wandering around the island's seabeds, lost in the wonders of scientific discovery. Ever since he got himself a deep submergence vehicle (DSV) for his research, he practically lives underwater!"

Colette, Pamela and Nicky nodded. But Paulina and Seba took one look at Violet's worried snout and the Peruvian mouselet piped up, "Professor, would you mind if we went down to Tide House to check on him?"

"If he is sick, we should also inform him about the turtles since he was looking forward to it." Seba added. Violet smiled gratefully at her friends.

The headmaster beamed at them. "Ah, you six are such good citizens!" he said proudly. "Always looking out for others. Of course you may go."

The six friends thanked the professor and headed straight for the marine biology lab.

* * *

The six of them hopped back into Pam's SUV and headed to Tide House. It sat in a lovely natural harbor, Butterfly Bay. The place was secluded, protected by Nightingale Woods on one side and by the sea on the other.

"What a gorgeous spot!" Nicky exclaimed.

"I could go for a picnic here." Seba muttered.

"Look!" said Pam. "There's Professor van Kraken's car."

Paulina nodded. "Maybe he's been here the whole time."

They rang the bell for a long time, but no one answered.

"Maybe the headmaster was right!" Pam said. "The professor must have gone underwater in his DSV." She pointed to the dock, which stood empty.

"But how long has he been gone for?" Seba wondered. "He couldn't possibly be down there for two days."

"Do you hear that?" Violet asked suddenly. A strange noise was coming from the window. "It sounds like an alarm! The professor could be in serious trouble. We should go in and check."

"But we cannot just knock down the door." Colette objected.

"Look!" Paulina said as she pointed in a direction. "There's an open window."

"I don't know if we should go into the lab without permission." said Pamela, looking worried. "On the other paw, we can't leave without making sure the professor is all right."

"So we go in!" Seba declared as he leaped onto the car before jumping to reach the window, climbing in. The mouselings looked in awe, but Nicky looked impressed.

"Not bad. Let me try!" Nicky exclaimed as she scrambled right up the wall and climbed through the window as well. The rest were still amazed and bewildered.

"Holey cheese, you could not pay me to do that." squeaked Colette.

A moment later, Nicky opened the front door with Seba behind her. "There's no one here," she said. "But all the computers and lab equipment are on."

"One thing's for sure, the professor's got some really cool stuff here." Seba said. "C'mon. It's a matter of life and death.

Paulina, Violet, Colette and Pamela followed them in and began looking around. What had happened to Professor van Kraken?

Shades were drawn to protect the ultrasensitive equipment from the light of the sun. Air-conditioning kept the temperature nice and cool. There was a soft buzzing sound and red and green lights were blinking, indicating that the computers were working. One green light drew the mouselings and human's attention. It was a line moving rapidly up and down.

Suddenly, a low whistle came from the loudspeaker and the green line went crazy

"What's that?" asked Pamela, covering her ears.

"It must be the song of the whales!" exclaimed Nicky. "We learned about it in marine biology class. That's how whales communicate underwater. I think this computer is connected to the bottom of the ocean!"

Pamela twisted her ear. "They're just a little out of tune!"

"Wait a minute," Paulina interrupted. She was gazing at the line on the computer screen. "This noise is not natural. The rhythm is too regular! It can't be a whale. Something else is making the sounds!"

Colette's fur turned as white as mozzarella. "Maybe it is the ghost Professor van Kraken was telling us about! The ghost of Marius von Opul!"

Nicky looked at her doubtfully while Seba had a deadpanned expression. "Oh, and this ghost is going to leave behind the professor's hair, is he?!"

"That was your conclusion!" Colette shot back, referring to the Dragon's Code mystery.

"Ghosts, monsters, they're all the same!" Seba retorted.

Before she could answer, Violet cried out. "Look! Here's something else!" She picked up a long spool of paper that was coming out of the printer under the table.

A jagged black line ran across the whole strip of paper. It was identical to the green line going across the screen.

Violet ran the printout through her paws. "Paulina's right! It's way too regular! It seems almost like..."

Her eyes lit up in realization. "But of course! It's a signal! It repeats the same pattern over and over!"

"Do you think it's Morse code?" asked Paulina.

"It certainly isn't Braille." Seba sarcastically replied.

Nicky took a piece of paper and a pen to write down the pattern. "It seems to be made up of dots and lines! Dot, dot, dot. Line, line, line. Dot, dot, dot."

"Wait, could you repeat that?" the human asked, looking confused.

"Dot, dot, dot. Line, line, line. Dot, dot, dot." she repeated.

"So it's...'VGI'?" he asked.

Everyone facepawed. He knew Morse code, but didn't really seem to catch up with the wording.

Nicky shook her head. "No. Three dots correspond with the letter S. After that, three lines with the letter O..."

Violet understood immediately. "SOS! This is a cry for help!"

Colette's eyes widened. "You mean someone is intentionally transmitting these sounds from the bottom of the ocean?"

The Chinese mouselet nodded. "And there's only one rodent it could be!"

"The ghost of Marius von Opul!" cried Colette.

"Professor van Kraken!" said Paulina at the same time.

Nicky, Pam and Violet gave Colette a funny look while Seba was trying to stifle his laughter. She looked embarrassed. "Oh, Paulina is right. The must be Professor van Kraken!"

"Nice save." Seba snorted.

Colette gave him a slap on the arm.

Pamela shushed the others, pointing to Paulina. "Don't disturb her. I think she's on to something."

Paulina was scampering from one computer to the next, speaking to herself. Her friends didn't understand what she was doing, but they could tell she knew what she was doing.

"I've got it!" exclaimed Paulina triumphantly. "I've figured out where the signal's coming from!"

On the biggest computer screen was a map of the western coast of Whale Island. A red dot was blinking, revealing the source of the signal.

"Windy Grotto!" said Paulina.

Violet scurried out of the laboratory as if she were running the last hundred yards at the New Mouse City marathon. The others looked at one another, then followed her.

* * *

Once they got outside, the six friends clambered into Pamela's SUV. The shortest road to Windy Grotto was an old path that cut through the woods. When they reached the coast, they had to leave the car and scamper down a staircase carved out of a rock. They reached a tiny beach and looked around in confusion.

"Where did all the sand go?" asked Nicky.

"And where is the entrance to the cave?" Colette added, bewildered.

"It's high tide," explained Paulina. "When we came here last month, it was low tide, so the beach was a lot bigger. Now is the time when the tide is at its highest, so the water has covered the entrance to the cave."

"So that means..." Pam said slowly.

Seba answered. "If we wanna go in, we need to go underwater."

"Uh-oh." gulped Nicky, She was not at all enthusiastic about the idea. She suffered from claustrophobia, which makes her not being able to stand being in tight spaces. One of that included going underwater.

But Professor van Kraken was trapped in Windy Grotto, and he'd been sending those strange SOS signals. He needed help fast! There was only one thing to do.

Seba and the Thea Sisters went back to the SUV to get their underwater equipment. Then they put on their wet suits and jumped into the water. Pamela led the way since she had often gone diving in Windy Grotto, so she knew it like the back of her paw. She swam confidently through the opening in the cave, glancing over her shoulder occasionally to make sure her friends were following.

At first, they couldn't see anything because of the darkness inside the cave. So Pam reached for her flashlight. The beam of light startled a colony of tiny fish, making them swim away. They looked like a silver cloud. Pam turned the flashlight upward, illuminating a vast metallic surface.

It was the DSV!

In response to the flashlight, it turned on its high beams, making the water and the cave walls shimmer. The mouselings and human squinted. All around them, the walls were covered with coral and brightly colored sponges. Seba and the Thea Sisters were speechless with wonder. It was one of the most fabulous sights they'd ever seen!

Suddenly, the DSV's engine started up. The six friends swam toward it. As they drew closer, they noticed it looked a little banged up. Violet pressed her snout up to a porthole. Inside she saw Professor van Kraken!

He smiled hopefully and waved hello with his paw.

They were determined to get to Professor van Kraken. Violet was the first to come out of the water and climb onto the DSV. She scampered all the way to the emergency hatch.

Colette, Paulina and Seba followed her while Pamela and Nicky swam around it, checking for damage. There were only dents and scratches along the sides. The mouselings were puzzled. Why hadn't the professor come out of the cave?

Pamela found the answer: A giant rock had gotten stuck between the DSV's propeller and its protective grate, stopping it from spinning. The duo carefully tried to dislodge it.

Meanwhile, Violet tried with all her might to open the access hatch, but it was blocked too!

She was frustrated, but then she remembered what her Grandpa Chen used to say: where two paws fail, four can succeed! and there were Paulina, Colette and Seba right behind her, ready to help.

Even six paws and two hands didn't do trick. This was a task for eight paws: six and one that pulled from outside (Violet's, Colette's, Paulina's and Seba's) and two that pushed form inside (Professor van Kraken's).

The hatch suddenly gave way and the three mouselings and human almost toppled over the side!

"How are you, professor?" Violet ask anxiously as she got up.

'I've seen better days," he replied, poking his snout out of the DSV. He looked a bit bruised. "But now that you six are here, I feel like I've discovered the chemical compound of blue cheese! How did you find me?"

"We heard your signal." answered Paulina.

"Pretty genius of you to use Morse code." Seba commented.

Professor van Kraken smiled. "So you figured it out! Thank goodness, you realized I was the one sending those signals. I had no idea if anyone would hear me."

"Why don't you tell us what happened, Professor van Kraken?" Colette interrupted.

"Yes, of course," the professor obliged. "Well, I always go out early wtth the DSV and explore the sea around the cormorant rocks. I follow the whale movements in this part of the bay before checking on the sea turtle eggs at Turtle Beach. Then one day, when I was going underwater, I noticed a shipwreck near the rocks!"

"The Queen Mousy!" Violet exclaimed. "You told us about it during your lecture."

"That's right, Violet!" confirmed the professor. "This was big news, but I decided not to reveal it to anyone."

Colette couldn't contain herself. "Sauter thon, why not?" she asked. "An announcement like that would have attracted attention from all around the world!"

"Exactly!" replied the professor, nodding. "That's exactly what I was afraid of. That's exactly what I was afraid of. That wreck at the bottom of the ocean has become home to many species of plants and sea creatures. Salvaging it would mean destroying entire colonies of fish. So I decided that before revealing my discovery, I should figure out a way to retrieve the treasure without doing any harm to the environment. Then once I'd pawed the treasure over to the port authorities, there would be no damage to the ocean life because no one would care about the shipwreck anymore."

"That's pretty smart." Seba said, looking impressed.

"Thank you, Seba," Professor van Kraken. "Unfortunately, before I could put my plan into action, someone else discovered the ship! When I arrived this morning, a fishing boat was scraping the bottom of the sea with a hydraulic dredger! The rodents must have known about the treasure. I tried to stop them, but they attacked me! I was forced to flee and hide out in this cave. During my escape, the DSV banged against the side of the cave opening and the propeller was damaged."

"What about you?" asked Violet, looking concerned. "You look like you got hurt."

"Hurt is an understatement. He looked like he was hazed like a new kid." Seba remarked.

The professor nodded. "Yes, when the DSV hit the grotto walls, I hit my snout against the instruments. I'm okay, but I was trapped so I tried sending the signals using the whale-o-phone?"

"The whale-o-phone?" asked Paulina.

"It's an instrument that I invented," the professor explained. "It emits sounds that are similar to whale sounds. I made it in hopes of communicating with the whales!"

"Not to be a critic though, but you might need to practice more on the song of the whales." Seba remarked.

The professor chuckled. "I will." His expression turned into anger. "It makes me so mad to think that those looters are still destroying the ocean floor!" They could hear his voice cracking with exasperation.

"Are you sure they're still here?" asked Paulina.

The professor nodded. "I can hear the noise of the dredger with my equipment. I've been listening for the Coast Guard''s motorboat, but no such luck. The only thing I've heard is that terrible machine!"

"That means there's no time to lose! We need to stop them immediately!" cried Paulina.

"I'm way ahead of you there." Seba added, cracking his knuckles. They were ready to jump back into the water.

Before she could, Nicky and Pamela popped through the hatch.

"We did it!" exclaimed Pam with satisfaction. "We freed the propeller from the rock that was blocking it! Now the DSV should be able to start back up!"

"Amazing!" cried the professor. "You mouselings are phenomenal!"

Paulina meant business. "Those treasure hunters better not mess with us!"

"Treasure hunters?" Pam interrupted. "Am I missing something?"

Colette quickly filled them in. Nicky and Pam were indignant when they heard the whole story.

"We've got to warn the Coast Guard," said the professor. "But the radio's still broken and I don't have any scuba equipment."

"But we do," said Violet. "We'll swim you to the surface. You can share our oxygen tanks."

Pam nodded. "Then you can drive my SUV to the Coast Guard office at the harbor."

"And we'll stay with the DSV and try to distract the looters from getting to the treasure." concluded Nicky.

"If the last one fails, I'll settle this with my fists." Seba added.

"I'm sure I can steer it to the cormorant rocks," said Pam.

"What will we do once we get there?" asked Colette.

"We'll think of something," said Paulina. "We've go to!"

"The ecosystem is on the line here." Seba added.

"Let's do it!" declared Violet.

Faster than a catfish with a shark on its tail, Violet and Nicky swam Professor van Kraken up to the surface. Then they hurried back to the DSV to put the second part of their plan into action.

* * *

Space was tight in the DSV. Seba and the Thea Sisters had to scrunch themselves in.

"If I make myself any smaller, I will disappear!" Colette joked.

Pamela squeezed herself behind the wheel. "It isn't exactly like driving an SUV, but I'll manage."

"How are you doing, Nicky?" Seba asked.

The Aussie mouselet shuddered. "I feel a bit dizzy, but I'm fine with you all here."

Their exit wasn't the cleanest: Pamela had some trouble figuring out the cave's dimensions, much to Seba's annoyance. After a few pirouettes and one U-turn, she finally steered the DSV through the cave's opening. Once it had emerged, the DSV ran smoothly, so Pamela pushed the motors to the max. She didn't want the looters to escape right under their snouts.

Cormorant rocks appeared on the horizon. Right next to them was the fishing boat!

"Let's go under!" suggested Paulina. "That way, we'll catch them by surprise."

"Great idea!" cheered Colette.

"Uh-oh, the DSV isn't responding to the commands!" shouted Pamela.

Nicky shot her a look of panic. "You're kidding, right?"

Pamela frantically moved her paws from one lever to another. "It won't move! The rudder won't move! All the controls are stuck!"

Seba looked around to see the dents inside the cabin. "Professor van Kraken's collision back at the cave must have caused a malfunction to its controls!"

Pam pointed toward the looters' fishing boat, which was growing closer every moment. "We're at full speed and we're heading right for them!"

Colette, Nicky, Pam and Seba wrapped their paws around the rudder and together, all of them pulled as hard as they could but it wouldn't budge an inch!

Violet was the only one who remained calm. "Sound the alarm to warn them, Pam! Then we'll have to jump into the water!"

Pam pressed the red button, causing the sound of the siren to make the cabin vibrate.

Nicky pushed the escape hatch open. One after another, the mouselings and human leaped into the water. The last one to jump was Pamela. She made it out just in time to see the fishing boat maneuvering to avoid impact.

Then she went under.

* * *

As Seba and the Thea Sister swam away, they saw the fishing boat swerve abruptly. Luckily, it didn't capsize. The DSV, on the other hand, bounced of the boat and crashed up against the rocks.

Pamela breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the fishing boat had sprung a leak, nothing worse. It would be enough to stop the looters without putting them in serious danger.

Suddenly, her fur stood on end: Four figures in black wet suits swam through the water. They were headed straight for the mouselings!

So the looters weren't all on the boat. Some had been working on the ocean floor to try and get the treasure!

"Look out, Seba and sisters!" cried Pam. "They're coming after us!"

The mouselings and human swam as quickly as they could, but they hadn't gotten far before the four divers seized them, dragging them underwater once more. Only Seba was the one to make it out. Unfortunately, he was unaware of what happened to them.

When he got far, he turned around to see the Thea Sisters missing. Frantically, he looked around to see where they had gone. However in the corner of his eye was a hydrofoil ferry. The Neptune.

His eyes dangerously narrowed. He did not trust Captain Coral one bit thanks to Devon Whale's description of him. Putting two and two together, he realized that Captain Coral and the looters were working together!

Gritting his teeth him anger, he swam towards the Neptune, but he decided to go behind it.

* * *

When he reached there, the first thing he did was lunge himself up high in the air to reach onto the railings. It worked as he climbed himself up and over onto the boat. Browsing around, he sneaked down to find something. When he slowly opened the door, he realized that he was in the captain's office. Slowly, he made his way to the desk and browsed through the papers. There was a picture of a Chinese mouse and a couple of letters. He read one of them. With each word he passed, he realized that Captain Coral was sent here!

Leaving the office, he heard pawsteps on the wooden floor. He hid around the corner and peeked out to see Captain Coral and his goons throwing the captured Thea Sisters into an empty cabin. They had left while one of them stood guard. Taking a deep breath, he decided to take a risk.

The guard heard a couple of steps heard on the floor. He turned around to see an unfamiliar creature running towards him. "What the-?"

 **WHAM!**

The guard was knocked unconscious by Seba's flying roundhouse kick. Landing on one knee, he slowly got up. Seba couldn't waste any time. He opened the cabin door as the Thea Sisters's eyes lit up in joy.

"I've got you." he said as he tried to undo their binds. However, he heard a voice outside the cabin.

"Who's there?!" one of the guards yelled as he ran in to find the human trying to free them.

* * *

The guards ran to find one of their comrade's shout. They made their way down the cabin storage, only to find one of their own flying out of the room and landing on the railing. Frantic, they ran in to see an unexpected sight.

A creature they've never seen before with his fist out.

"Kidnapping my friends is punishable by flogging." Seba muttered as he got into a fighting stance.

One of them ran at him, but Seba delivered a roundhouse to the snout. Another came towards him, but was hit with a powerful one-two punch. However, more looters came in and surrounded the human. Seba prepared himself in a fighting stance.

He was outnumbered, but never outgunned.

Meanwhile Violet was finishing untying Nicky's binds, having done for the others. However, she had noticed a box of flares. Looking outside the window, she had noticed a Coast Guard boat was passing by. She knew that the Coast Guard wouldn't ignore an emergency! Stealthily, she grabbed a hold onto the flare and opened the window.

With it, she fired into the sky!

"HELP!" she called out to the Coast Guard.

One of the looters noticed her. "Someone shut her up!"

However, he was punched in the face by Seba. "You're not touching them!"

A looter grabbed him from behind, but was elbowed hard twice before being thrown overhead. Another tried to emulate a kung-fu movie flying kick, but ended up getting punched below the belt.

Noticing Colette getting caught, Seba carefully delivered a swift high kick to her captor's head. Violet was also caught from behind, but continued to shout for help. The looter had no choice but to let go when Seba delivered a painful double chop to both sides of his neck. The human proceeded to grab him by the mouth with his fingers and fling him over.

The last one had a knife and was about to lunge it behind Seba. Fortunately, Pamela had noticed.

"Seba!" she exclaimed as she trapped the ambusher with a lifesaver from behind him.

The human turned around and delivered an elbow to his temple, knocking him out.

"What is going on here?!" a voice called out. Everyone turned to see Captain Coral at the door.

Seba was the first to respond as he ran towards him and grabbed him by the throat.

"You've got some nerve trying to destroy the ecosystem." the human muttered as he gave him a stern frown.

"W-we just wanted the treasure! That's all!" the captain whimpered.

"That treasure doesn't belong to you!" Violet exclaimed angrily.

"And that's another thing. I'm going to have a lot of questions for you." Seba added as he twisted the captain's arm. "Girls, could you be kind enough to explain the coast guard as to what's going on here while I have a chat with this scumbag?"

They nodded without question and scurried out of the cabin while Seba dragged Captain Coral to the office.

"Now, I want you to tell me who Madame Hu is and why she wants you to take the Queen Mousy's treasure for her." Seba ordered.

Out of the fear for his life, the captain told him everything.

* * *

Later, Captain Coral and his minions had been arrested by the Coast Guard and the treasure was recovered. The chest was filled with jewels and the famous Jasmine's Heart!

As Chief Seadog of the guard opened the treasure chest, Seba and the Thea Sisters gazed at the enormous jewel in awe.

"Voler les batonnets de poisson, that has got to be the most amazing thing I have ever seen." breathed Colette.

"Thanks to Seba and the Thea Sisters, it's safe!" said the chief.

News of the Queen Mousy's discovery and of the six friends' doings spread across Whale Island faster than the smell of melting cheese. By the time Chief Seadog's patrol boat pulled into the harbor, a crowd had gathered to meet it. Seba and the Thea Sisters were greeted as heroes and everyone was eager to see the treasure!

* * *

When the mouselings and human returned to Whale Island, there was a serious discussion about the future of the treasure. Chief Seadog, Professor van Kraken and he headmaster decided that it would remain on display in Mouseford Academy's Trophy Room. After all that excitement, Seba and the Thea Sisters were ready to settle back into their studies.

But it seemed that they were destined never to have a moment's peace and quiet!

* * *

A few days later, Violet burst into the room she shared with her friends. "You'll never believe this, sisters and Seba! My dad is conducting an opera in a new theater and my mom is the star. They've invited us to come to Beijing after our exams to see it!"

"All of us?!" Colette, Paulina, Nicky and Pamela asked in unison. Seba lowered his magazine in curiosity.

"Yes, all of us!" Violet confirmed. "There's more. Along with the e-mail from my parents, there was a note from my old friend Xiao. He has a problem and he needs our help."

"Our help?" asked Pam in surprise. "Really?"

Violet turned to Pam. "Last time I was home, I told Xiao how we solved the Dragon's Code," she said. "Now he says we're the only ones who can help his family. I just can't let down an old friend like Xiao. And here's the most interesting part: it has to do with a treasure!"

"Another treasure?" Colette asked.

"We just did a treasure hunt and we're going into it again?" Seba muttered.

"Treasure hunting is starting to become our specialty!" exclaimed Nicky.

"Beijing!" said Paulina, who loved traveling. "I can't wait!"

"But it's China, the birthplace of kung-fu." Seba mused as he lounged back on the beanbag chair. This was going to be an interesting trip.

* * *

And so a few weeks later, Seba and the Thea Sisters left Mouseford Academy again.

Exams were finally over and the Thea Sisters thought they'd done well. However, they knew that Seba scored full marks on each test. No wonder he calls himself "All-Knowing". They bid a fond farewell to all their friends and professors, promising to keep in touch over the summer.

The six friends took a ride on Vince Guymouse's boat to get to Mouse Island and from there they caught a direct flight to Beijing. By this time, the mouselings and human were expert intercontinental travelers. They knew the best way to pass the time on the long, twelve-hour was to relax and try to sleep. So they all curled up their tails and closed their eyes.

Everyone, that is, expect Violet and Seba. Violet was too excited about showing her friends around her home country. Plus, she was incredibly curious about the mystery Xiao had mentioned in his e-mail.

Seba, on the other hand, was cautious. Considering that they were going to Beijing, there was a chance that they could encounter Madame Hu. He had been doing some research over the internet and found out that she was a leader of a Chinese triad. Surprising, considering that most triads were in Hong Kong.

He had to stay on guard.

* * *

When they got off the plane in Beijing, Violet could hardly stand up. She was tired! But that didn't matter because she was home!

When Seba and the Thea Sisters stepped off the plane, they found a limousine waiting for them. The driver was none other than Xiao himself!

"Welcome to Beijing!" he called, waving at them. "Hi, Zi Iuolan!" he said to Violet.

"Xiao!" cried Violet. "You're a sight for sore eyes!" The two friends hugged each other tightly.

Violet quickly introduced Xiao to her friends.

"Violet, you never told me that Xiao was a pretty rat." Seba muttered, looking amused.

Xiao rolled his eyes. "I'm not just a pretty rat. I can show you a move or two."

The human smirked. "You do martial arts too?"

The rat gave him a smirk of his own. "Jeet Kun Do."

"Nice. Kickboxing right here."

The Thea Sisters rolled their eyes at the two martial artists. Xiao ushered the six friends into the car, loaded up the luggage and drove off confidently through the chaotic city traffic. Next to the cars and trucks, there were endless bicycles darting through the traffic.

"What was that Xiao called you?" Colette asked Violet.

"Zi Iuolan," Violet answered. "It's my Chinese name. It means 'violet'. Grandpa Chen chose it because the day I was born, a violet bloomed in his greenhouse, even though they were out of season."

"That's a beautiful story and a beautiful name," Paulina said. "Zi Iuolan!"

"We can use that as a codename as well." Seba muttered. "To confuse bad guys that come in our way."

Violet rolled her eyes, but smile. "I might consider it."

Outside the windows, very tall, modern skyscrapers whizzed by.

"Look up there!" cried Nicky, pointing to the top of a glass building. "They're skyscrapers, sure, but they have pagoda roofs!"

"Fromage suisse gluante, what is that?" asked Colette, her snout plastered to the window. She was pointing at an enormous glass dome that seemed to emerge from a small lake. It was glinting in the sunlight.

"That's the new National Center for the Performing Arts!" explained Violet, yet she was also fascinated by it as well.

"Fabumouse!" exclaimed Pam. "It looks like a gigantic water bubble!"

"More like a spaceship!" Nicky put it.

"I can compare it to half the Death Star." Seba chimed in.

Xiao slowed down to give them a better look. "The National Center for the Performing Arts is one of the marvels of world architecture!" he told them. "Violet's parents are there rehearsing right now."

"I can't wait to see them!" said Violet. "But first, let's get to the hotel so we can have something to eat."

Pamela nodded eagerly. "Vi, you took the words right out of my snout!"

* * *

When the six friends entered the suite at their hotel, they got more excited than a hamster with a brand-new treadmill.

"Jumping gerbil babies!" cried Pamela. "This place is amazing!"

Colette sand into the red silk couch and said "It is absolutely fabumouse."

Nicky entered the first bedroom and dove onto the bed. "There's even a waterbed."

Paulina turned to Violet. "An entire suite just for us?! Violet, it's too much!"

"Squeak for yourself!" exclaimed Colette. She was bewitched by all that she saw.

At the center of the room. there was an enormous bucket of roses.

Violet picked up the card. "It's from my parents, with lots of love."

Suddenly, Nicky felt a little uncomfortable in such a luxurious room. "Are you sure we couldn't have stayed at your house?"

"Sure...if my house wasn't in Hangzhou, thousands of miles from here," Violet answered. "China is a really big country!"

"Yikes, so we don't get to visit the Liuhe Pagoda?" Seba asked.

She shook her head and smiled. "Maybe next time."

Paulina looked at Seba quizzically. "Why are you interested the Liuhe Pagoda?"

He shrugged. "The tower reminds me of Game of Death."

Xiao entered the suite with the bellmice who were carrying the luggage. "Okay, my friends. Get some rest, because tomorrow I'm going to take you to the famouse Panjiayuan Market. It's a great place to sightsee and it's also the place where our mystery begins."

"Can't you tell us about it now?" Violet begged. "We're so curious!"

Xiao just laughed. "No way! I need my six expert detectives rested and ready for anything!" He looked at Seba. "Especially you, Mr. Kickboxer. You should rest instead of train now."

Seba pouted. "Such a tease."

"Xiao is right, though," said Nicky. "The trip was long. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to take a ratnap on this waterbed!"

"Way ahead of you, Nic." replied Seba as he entered his own room and landed on his bed with a thud. "Goodnight!"

* * *

The next morning, Xiao and the six friends made an early start. They ate a quick breakfast of dumplings and tea in the suite, then scurried out to the Panjiayuan Market. The market is the biggest, most famous and most chaotic market in all of Beijing. It's an enormous stretch of stalls and stands where you can find all kinds of arts and crafts.

Violet's friends didn't know what to look at first. There was so much to see! There was porcelain, furniture, carpets, clothes, jewelry, fans, stamps, paintings on rice paper and silk, brushes and colored inks. There were statues of jade, wood, bronze, iron and terra-cotta everywhere!

Colette fluttered like a butterfly between stands filled with gorgeous silks and cashmere sweaters.

Nicky and Seba visited a stall with the latest martial arts magazines. A Muk Yan Jong, a Chinese wooden dummy, had caught the human's attention immediately.

Violet and Xiao caught up on all the news from Hangzhou and had fun being the group's tour guides.

As for Paulina, she had made a very special find. She beckoned for all her friends and Xiao to come into a small booth in the corner of the market. She was clutching a small silk bag in her paws.

"What do you have in there?" Colette asked curiously.

"Something that will help us remember this trip and our friendship!" exclaimed Paulina. She opened the sack and six small sparkling stones tumbled out. Her friends stared in awe at the sight of them.

"There's one for each of us," she explained. "Each one is beautiful on its own, but when they're all together, they are even more special! Just like us! The pink quartz is for Colette, the amber is for Nicky, the amethyst is for Violet, the turquoise is for Pam, the garnet is for Seba and the moonstone is for me!"

Nicky hugged her. "Thanks so much, Paulina! They're gorgeous."

Pamela gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Yeah, thanks! You're the best!"

Seba walked up to her, rubbing his elbow. "I really don't know how much I can thank you..."

Paulina cut him off with a hug, a bright smile on her snout. "No need! We're friends, aren't we?"

A soft smile graced on his lips and he gently returned the hug.

Violet was so moved, she lost her voice. She gazed at the stones in wonder before remembering her other good friend Xiao and why they were here: to help!

"Xiao, you still haven't told us why we're here," she said.

"Not that we're not enjoying ourselves," said Colette, who loved to shop.

"Violet's right. We came here to help you," said Paulina as she let go of the hug. "What can we do?"

Xiao nodded. "Yes, the time has come. I knew your friends would love the market, Violet. That's one reason we're here. But there is another. About a month ago, my mother was shopping here when she found a beautiful lacquer box. She purchased it at once and brought it home. That evening, Madame Hu came to our house and insisted on buying it from her."

"Madame Hu?" Violet repeated, sounding alarmed.

"You mean the leader of one of Beijing's triads?" Seba clarified, looking on guard.

"Yes," answered Xiao, eyes narrowed. "She is a mysterious and intimidating figure in Beijing," he explained to the mouselings and human. "No one knows exactly what sort of business she's involved in, but apparently it's very dangerous to get in her way! She has a thousand eyes in the city. Thousands of mice work for her."

"Why would she want the box?" Violet asked. "I'm sure it's beautiful, but there are many beautiful lacquer boxes for sale at the Panjiayuan Market."

He shook his head. "I don't know why, but my mother thinks it might have something to do with a treasure," As he was speaking, he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching them. "I have it here. Take a loot."

Violet took it carefully and looked at the design on the cover. "I've seen this image before. We had a print of the same thing at home."

As she continued to look at it, her eyes slowly widened. "But of course! Now I remember! It's the Jade Princess!"

"The Jade Princess?" asked Pam. "Who's that?"

"She's a princess from a mythical Chinese fairy tale. It's as popular as the Butterfly Lovers." Seba explained.

"You know what it is?" Violet asked.

The human shrugged. "I do my research before doing a commission for illustrations."

Xiao smiled. "I knew you could help me!"

Xiao had been sure that they were alone. But as he finished speaking, a jeweled paw with nails as long as claws grabbed Violet's shoulder.

"What a beautiful lacquer box, mouseling! But I'm sorry to tell you that it belongs to me!"

Violet was stunned. When she turned around, she found a beautiful but intimidating rodent staring at her with eyes of ice. She gasped. It was Madame Hu! Violet had seen pictures of the woman in the newspaper, and she would have recognized her anywhere

She was wearing a black silk dress that shone like her fur, which was held together by a gold dragon-shaped hairpin. A chill ran down Violet's tail.

Before she could speak, Colette piped up. "I am sorry, you must be mistaken. This box belongs to my friend's family." She took the box out of Violet's paw.

"I will pay you very well!" said the mysterious rodent, with a decisive tone that rubbed Colette's fur the wrong way.

"I am sorry, but it is not for sale!" declared Colette.

Seba stepped in. "Besides, don't you have enough dirty money for your collection?"

"Collection? What do you mean?" Madame Hu asked innocently.

"I know that you collect treasures from all over the world," Seba stated, a stern tone in his voice. "It's too bad that your guinea pig, Captain Coral is in the slammer to continue doing that."

The Thea Sisters gasped. Was this true?

The mysterious rodent's eyes darkened. "You really did your research, boy. No wonder I don't have the Queen Mousy's treasure in my grasp. It seems that I'll have to take that box by force."

Suddenly, the friends realized that two of Madame Hu's henchmice were about to grab them.

"Paws off, cheddarface!" cried Colette.

Before they could reach her, Seba delivered a double punch to their stomach before pushing them away.

He turned to Xiao. "Xiao, take them back to the hotel! I'll hold these scumbags off!"

Xiao nodded and grabbed Colette's paw, dragging her away into the large crowd in a hurry. Violet, Nicky, Pam and Paulina scurried after them.

"Stop them!" demanded the woman.

"You'll have to go through me first!" declared Seba as he went into his kickboxing stance.

One bodyguard tried to tackle him, but Seba delivered a punch. However, his opponent caught his fist with his neck. Using his smarts, the human slapped his snout before delivering several punches, ending it with a knockout punch.

The second bodyguard had grabbed him from behind with a headlock. Seba delivered a couple of elbows to the stomach before executing an uppercut to the bodyguard.

With both bodyguards down, Seba looked at the shocked Madame Hu.

"You better take your goons with you. Because they're already canned cheese." Seba smirked.

Madame Hu glared at him. "Do you know who you're dealing with?!"

"I'm dealing with a treasure thief who hides herself behind a group of scumbags. Now get outta here before I smack that hairpin off your head.

She growled. "This isn't over yet. I will have that box!" With that, she stormed off as her bodyguard was following her, grabbing onto his partner.

"I'd like to see you try!" Seba yelled before looking at the martial arts stall. He wanted that wooden dummy. Walking towards the stall, he began to bargain with the owner.

* * *

Seba had returned to the suite with the wooden dummy in his arm. The trishaw ride was a breezy one, yet was very cooling. When he got into the room, he was greeted with five worried Thea Sisters.

"Seba!" Paulina exclaimed, a concerned look on her snout. "Are you alright?"

"Is there anywhere that you're hurt?" Colette asked, worry in her tone.

"I'm fine. Those mooks are pretty much fodder." he said as he placed the wooden dummy by the corner.

"Still, what was that back there?" Pamela asked.

"You never told us that Madame Hu sent Captain Coral to steal the Jasmine's Heart!" Nicky exclaimed.

"Girls, I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you for the exams. And I didn't know that we would confront the witch soon." Seba said. "I'll put my body on the line to protect you all."

Violet had slowly walked up to him. He had shut his eyes to brace himself for a slap. However, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. Opening his eyes, he looked down to see her hugging him.

"Just...tell us important things like this next time." she muttered.

He sighed as he returned the hug. "You can be quite a sensitive mouse, Violet."

"I'm serious. As best friends, we need to look out for each other. So information like this would be helpful." She looked up and tried to give a stern look, which came of as an angry and cute pout.

Seba laughed softly. "Alright then. I promise."

"Now we're all okay, we need to know why Madame Hu wants the box so badly?" Paulina asked. "Perhaps Xiao's mother is right about the treasure. And who is this Jade Princess you mentioned?"

"That's a long story," said Violet. "Let me make us some tea, to calm us all down and I'll tell you."

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there lived a very beautiful yet spoiled princess. Her name was Yu, which means 'jade' in Chinese. She was very proud of her name and decided that she must have the most beautiful and most precious jade necklace in the world._

 _Merchants from every corner of the empire arrived with beautiful stones to show her. But the princess was impossible to please. No jade was beautiful enough for her. She rejected stone after stone and forced the merchants to throw them into the river._

 _One day, a mouseling dressed in rags arrived at the palace. She brought her the most perfect jade that any mouse had ever seen. The mouseling said that it was the Jade of Truth. The stone was so extraordinarily smooth, it could have been a mirror. The image that it reflected was special: it showed the true snout of anyone who looked into it._

 _The princess took the jade and looked into it and saw a lonely, selfish rodent. Six tears fell from her eyes. As they fell, they transformed into six precious stones. The princess gave these stones to the poor mouseling who had revealed her true self._

 _From that day on, Princess Yu was never the same. She became kind and generous. She didn't think about the most beautiful jade anymore. And she often squeaked of all the beautiful stones that she had rejected, which remained at the bottom of the river._

* * *

"What a beautiful story!" said Paulina with a sigh. She took the box and opened it. "Moldy mozzarella, there's another in here!" she exclaimed as she took out more boxes. "And another! And another! And then another still!"

Xiao nodded. "Yes, six in all."

"Six boxes, one inside the next," reflected Violet. "Six...just like the six tears of the Jade Princess!"

"Six...like us!" exclaimed Nicky.

"It is a sign that we were meant to protect this box!" declared Colette.

"Sounds rather farfetched, but I'll make sure Madame Hu doesn't take this box." Seba affirmed.

"We can figure out what it mean. I know we can." said Paulina.

"Thank you!" said Xiao. "My mother has grown very attached to this lacquer box. And she's like you. She doesn't like giving into bullies! But I don't want to end up in trouble because of the box. We must be very careful."

Seba smashed his fist into his palm. "We're already in trouble, but that won't stop us!"

Everyone else agreed. They sat and examined the box for a while longer, each with their own theory about what the box meant. But nothing seemed right.

"I'm just saying that my theory could be correct!" Seba exclaimed.

"Your theory is a rehash of the plot to Star Wars!" Pamela shot back.

He raised his hands in surrender. "It could happen!"

After an hour or two, Xiao left and Seba and the Thea Sisters realized that they were really tired. It had been a busy day, especially with Seba from fighting of those henchmice. They decided to order room service and go straight to bed.

Violet was a real sleepysnout. She always needed a good night's sleep. But that night, she kept tossing and turning. She was having the strangest dream.

She dreamed that she was really small and the six boxes had become enormous.

When the boxes were stacked on to of one another, they formed a staircase as tall as a mountain!

* * *

 _In her dream, Violet tried to climb the mountain while Seba was fighting off an enemy. The rest of her friends were at the top and she knew they needed her help. They were being held prisoner by an enormous dragon like the one she'd seen on the pin in Madame Hu's hair!_

 _Her friends had looked into a direction, eyes widening like saucers. Violet turned up to see their expressions. Confused, she turned around to see what they were looking at, only to give a horrified expression._

 ** _"SEBA!"_**

 _Her human friend was lying motionless on the ground, eyes glazed and lifeless with a pool of red underneath. Standing tall above him was a golden armored dragon warrior holding a podao, looking like it was about to finish him off._

 _Before she could do anything, the dragon holding the sisters hostage had suddenly moved and tried to snap at her! It was alive!_

* * *

Violet woke up with a jolt. Her fur was matted with sweat. Looking outside the window, she was greeted with the dawn sky.

She scurried into the suite's living room, but not before peeking into Seba's room. She sighed in relief as she was greeted with the sight of Seba sleeping peacefully on his bed. Though, peaceful in the human's definition included being sprawled all over the mattress.

Closing the door gently, she walked towards the six lacquer boxes, which were still on the table. She looked at them for a long time, then started to put them one on top of the next, just like they had been in her dream.

It seemed like a silly thing to do, but it wasn't! The decorations looked simple, but they lined up perfectly with one another. In fact, when all the six boxes were on top of each other and were turned at the right angle, Violet saw they made a picture: The Great Wall!

And there was more!

Next to the picture of the wall, Violet noticed three symbols.

Just then, Nicky returned from her morning run. She looked at the boxes and asked, "What are you building there? Do you want to have a cup of tea?"

Yes, Violet definitely needed a cup of tea!

"You have such shadows under your eyes, Violet!" exclaimed Paulina, emerging from her room. "You look more like a racoon than a mouse! Did you sleep at all last night?"

"She probably read too much." Seba remarked as he walked out, while stretching his arms. "Seriously, cut back on the books now and then."

She shot him a glare. "I don't read that much!" Her expression had softened. "Besides, I had a nightmare," explained Violet as she looked at Seba. "But it gave me an idea. Look!"

She pointed to the design that ran across the six boxes and added, "This is the Great Wall and these three symbols mean Simatai!"

The name Simatai didn't mean anything to Nicky and Paulina. In fact, this left them more questions!

"You mean the section with the towers?" Seba asked.

She nodded. "Simatai is a section of the Great Wall," explained Violet. "It's famouse because it's very beautiful and very hard to cross. It's not too far from Beijing, but tourists don't visit it much."

"So what you're saying is that these boxes form a sort of map!" said Paulina.

At that moment, Pam came out of her bedroom. "Did you say map? Every map leads to a treasure!"

Violet jumped up. "Crispy cheese rolls! Maybe it's Princess Yu's lost treasure. The jade stones that were thrown into the river!"

Pamela ran to knock at Colette's door. "Wake up, Colette! There's news! Violet found the princess's treasure map!"

Her fur disheveled, Colette scampered into the living room. When she saw the boxes stacked on top of each other, she understood immediately. "So that is why Madame Hu wants it so badly!"

"What are we waiting for?" cried Nicky. "It's time for a trip to the Great Wall!"

Immediately, the six friends had changed into their clothes and started scurrying around.

Suddenly, Paulina stopped. "Wait. What about Xiao?"

Violet shook her snout. "I don't want to get him and his family mixed up in any trouble. He asked for our help and now we're going to deliver it!"

"Besides, we can just send him a message to tell him what we're up to." Seba added. "Pretty rat needs to protect his family."

Nicky nodded in agreement. "We've had lots of adventures together. If anyone knows how to get out of a mess, it's us!"

Colette carefully put the lacquer boxes back inside one another. As she did, she noticed the insides of the box covers were covered in teeny tiny pictures. "Look!"

The inside of the box had a picture of two lotus flowers entwined together.

"The Fairy Tower!" Violet cried. "There are many towers along the Great Wall, but the Fairy Tower is the only one with a decorated stone archway. Just like the lotus flowers on this design!"

"Good work, Vi!" cheered Pam. "Now we know where to start!"

* * *

Half an hour later, Seba and the Thea Sisters hurried out of their hotel. Their destination: Simatai, on the Great Wall. The forecast for the day was splendiid: The sky was clear and the sun was shining.

A bus took the mouselings and human to the train station a few miles outside Beijing. The mountains looked majestic, with the Great Wall an enormous crown sparkling along the crest. Colette, Nicky, Pam, Paulina and Seba gazed at the wall in awe.

"Crepes au fromage moelleux, that has got to be the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen," Colette remarked with a sigh.

As for Paulina and Pamela, they were speechless.

Nicky dragged them toward the cable car, Seba's arm in tow. "Let's go up, quick! I can't wait to see the view from up there!"

The higher the tram went, the more magnificent the scenery became around them. A few minutes later, the mouselings and human scrambled off the cable car at White Cloud Tower.

"From here, we go by paw," warned Violet. "It's steep!"

"Hooray!" exclaimed Nicky. "I could use a little exercise."

The six friends began their hike cheerfully. They chattered away, pointing out sights to one another. However, Seba had a nagging feeling that they were being watched. He remembered Xiao telling them that Madame Hu had a thousand eyes. There could be spies working for her. However, even if there were, it was hard to detect them since they seemed to blend in with the normal crowd of citizens

The walk along the section of the wall that to the Fairy Tower was exhausting but exhilarating. The six friends had brought drinks and cheese sandwiches with them and a beautiful view made their journey even more delightful.

"Walking along the Great Wall is like walking along a snake's back," said Nicky.

"More like walking along the back of an enormous sleeping dragon!" said Pam.

"I can assume that this is the road to destiny." added Seba.

"It's as if we're walking along a Chinese scroll and our pawprints are the words that are inscribed on it," said Paulina.

Colette looked at her in admiration. "You are a true poet, Paulina!"

The six friends hiked until they finally reached the Fairy Tower. Their paws (or in Seba's case, feet) were aching from their long trek, but their spirits were soaring!

The mice sat for a while to catch their breath. Pamela took sandwiches out of her backpack and shared them with her friends while Seba took off his shoes to massage his own toes.

Violet looked at the lotus flowers etched into the stone archway. They were exactly the same as the flowers inside the cover of the lacquer box. She pulled out the boxes and examined their covers, hoping to find some new clues.

Inside the second cover was a picture of a staircase. Where had she seen one like that before? Violet looked down from the Great Wall and spotted a very steep staircase that descended into the woods below. In the guidebook, it was called the Stairway to Heaven.

Violet turned to her friends, who were munching on their sandwiches cheerfully. "Let's go! We need to use that stairway!"

Seba sighed in annoyance. "More steps? Will this ever end?"

The five mouselings rolled their eyes as they leaped to their paws and carefully made their way down the stairs.

"Look over there!" cried Pam. "There's a small cottage between those trees!"

Violet jumped up. "A cottage! On the third cover, there's a picture of the roof of a house!" She gazed at the spot Pam had indicated and noticed a path that led from the wall into the woods.

At that moment, a helicopter flew over them.

Seba and the Thea Sisters didn't know it, but Madame Hu was in that helicopter! The six friends kept scampering along until they reached the cottage. Its stone walls looked old, but the red tiled roof was new and there was even a satellite dish.

Seba and the Thea Sisters looked at one another, unsure what to do next. Finally, Pam took action. She boldly knocked on the door. It was immediately opened by an old rodent. Seba greeted her with a polite bow.

"Hello," she greeted them "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable! I'm always so happy when I have guests!"

They began to file in, but Seba was stopped by the old rodent.

"You look like a strange creature." she mused as she placed her paw on his hand. "Tell me, are you a human?"

Seba blinked in shock, but nodded.

She smiled. "It's been so long since I've seen one like you. Brings me back memories."

No sooner had the old rodent closed the door behind her, a push from the outside had burst it open again! The old rodent almost toppled over. Both Violet and Seba reached out and steadied her with one paw and hand.

Madame Hu appeared at the doorstep, followed by her two henchmice, who were noticeably bandaged. She turned to the five mouselings and one human.

"We meet again," she said with a mocking smile. Then, looking around, she said "So this is where the treasure is hidden."

"I guess you didn't heed my warning, snake woman." Seba growled, cracking his knuckles. "Maybe Tweedledouche or Tweedledumbass would like another beating."

Seba stepped forward, making the bodyguards stepped on their own in return. The Thea Sisters were speechless.

The old rodent, on the other paw, didn't seem surprised. "Ah, Princess Jade's treasure! So that's the reason for all the visitors! Good, good! Then I imagine you have the lacquer box?"

Violet stared at her, astounded. The shock of Madame Hu's appearance was nothing compared to what she felt at the old rodent's words and acceptance.

"Out with the box!" ordered Madame Hu. Her two henchmice moved threateningly toward the youngsters. Seba moved forward to defend his friends. However, Violet placed a paw on his shoulder, silently begging him not to get hurt. He sighed before dropping his fighting stance. Violet opened her bag and showed them the box, but she did not take it out.

The old rodent seemed satisfied. "Yes, I recognize it! It is definitely the one. But the last piece is missing. I possess the last box, the smallest one. The one that leads to the treasure."

As she squeaked, she opened a drawer and took something out. Before the six friends could see what it was, one of Madame Hu's henchmice snatched it from the old woman and pawed it to his boss.

"Mine at last!" cackled Madame Hu. "Finally, my quest is complete! I have followed the princess's box through all the markets in China. Now at long last, the treasure is mine!"

With that, Madame Hu spun around and scurried out of the cottage, with her henchmice on her paws.

"Come on! Let's go!" cried Pamela. "We've got to find out where they're going!"

Nicky put a paw on her shoulder. "It's useless! We don't have any proof against those rat burglars."

"Then what next?" asked Colette.

"I don't know," answered Paulina sadly. "The trail has gone cold."

Seba clenched his fist in anger. He was angry at himself for not doing anything.

Violet turned to the old rodent and helped her sit down. "Are you alright, ma'am?"

A smile lit up the old rodent's snout. "Never been better in all my life, child. Now let's get back to our treasure!"

When she noticed the surprise in Violet's eyes, the old rodent seemed amused. "Hee-hee! You didn't think that I would let that witch get away with such a precious treasure, did you? My family has guarded it for generations. I am a descendant of the little mouse who gave Princess Yu the Jade of Truth!"

Everyone was stunned by this revelation There was a moment of silence.

Paulina was the one who broke it. "Then what did you give Madame Hu?"

The old rodent giggled. "Only what she deserved. I will also give you what you deserve, if you can answer the riddle that the princess entrusted to my ancestor, the guardian of the box, so many centuries ago," explained the old woman solemnly.

"The riddle is this: What is the name of the most precious stone?"

Seba and the Thea Sisters looked at one another thoughtfully.

"I think the most precious stone is a diamond," mused Colette. "It must be the Millennium Diamond! It is the largest diamond in the world!"

"That can't be the answer to the riddle," said Nicky. "During the princess's time, it hadn't been discovered yet."

Violet agreed. "Plus, jade has always been the most precious stone for the Chinese people. But I don't think that's the right answer either."

"Jade is so obvious that it's definitely wrong." Seba agreed.

The six friends discussed the riddle at length. They came up with many answers, but none of them seemed right. The old rodent seemed to appreciate the effort they were making. She brought them some tea.

Paulina took out the bag with the stones that she had bought for her friends and pawed them to Violet. "For me, the most precious stones in the world are these," she said.

"Yeah, for us too!" agreed Pam, Nicky and Colette. Seba was nodding with a ghost of a smile.

Violet smiled at her friends. Then she turned to the old rodent and showed her the six small stones. "We don't know the name of the most precious tone. But for us, the stones that are worth the most are these six. They represent our friendship!"

The old rodent looked at them in the eye one by one. They held firmness and truth.

Finally, she spoke. "Yes, I can tell that you six are bound together by sincere feelings of affection. I can trust you." She paused, then smiled. "There is no other clue to the treasure. I gave Madame Hu a fake clue to throw her off track. Princess Yu ordered that her treasure go to someone who was worthy. It needed to be someone who was pure of heart, generous and honorable. She wanted it to be someone who is able to appreciate the most important thing in life: friendship. Like you six, who are such close friends. So let's go! I'll show you the way to the treasure!"

* * *

The old rodent led them out the back door of her cottage. "Follow this path," she instructed. "It will take you to the river. A little downstream, you will see a forest of weeping willows. Stop when you get there."

Without further ado, the old woman bid Seba and the Thea Sisters farewell.

The six friends started down the path. About fifteen minutes later, they reached the river. The sun glinted off the water, and the branches from the weeping willows whispered in the gentle wind. It almost seemed as though the trees were trying to get their attention.

The mouselings and human pushed past the long branches and discovered a pool of water. It was a marvelous natural aquarium, with fish flashing between the water lilies.

"It's enchanting!" breathed Paulina.

"Yes, it is." began Violet. Then she stopped abruptly, for she saw something shining in the middle of the pool. She leaned forward, gazing at the water.

Colette, Nicky, Pam, Paulina and Seba had noticed it too. They crowded in close to one another to get a better look.

A mountain of small jade stones shimmered beneath the water's surface! The flow of the river had smoothed the stones over time. Now the sun, reflecting against the water, made them glitter with all the colors of the rainbow!

"So that's why Princess Yu spoke of the jades." Seba muttered.

For a moment, everyone was too stunned to speak. Then they looked at one another.

"Should we remove the treasure?" asked Colette hesitantly. "It seems wrong somehow."

"It is wrong." Seba affirmed.

Nicky nodded in agreement. "This is its place. It belongs here."

"Yes," said Violet. "This is the place where legends become reality."

* * *

The sun was starting to set. It was time to turn back. Dusk was falling over the woods. They all had not imagined they would be out so long.

Violet frowned. "I lost track of time! The last bus has probably returned to Beijing by now."

"How will we get home?" Colette asked anxiously.

"All the trishaws are probably gone by now." Seba said as he looked up at the sky.

"Let's go back to the old rodent," Nicky proposed. "Maybe she knows another way to get back to Beijing."

When Seba and the Thea Sisters returned to the cottage, they saw police officers taking Madame Hu and her henchmice away in pawcuffs!

Violet scampered up to the old rodent. "Rancid rat hairs, what happened? Are you okay? Did they come back to get revenge?"

The old woman smiled. She seemed to be enjoying herself more than ever. "My dear, I am just fine! I knew it was only a matter of time before that evil rodent realize that I'd tricked her. So while you and your friends were at the river, I called the police!"

"Good for you!" cheered Pamela.

"With her behind bars, this will put an end to her syndicate." added Seba.

"What about the treasure?" the old rodent asked. "Did you find it?"

Violet nodded. "Yes. And we left it right where it belongs."

The old rodent beamed at her. Then she opened a drawer and took out a small bundle wrapped in a tissue. She unwrapped it slowly and revealed...

The Jade of Truth!

The one that had belonged to Princess Yu!

The youngsters had gazed at it in wonder.

"This stone is the true treasure," the old rodent explained. "I have kept it safe my whole life. Now it must pass into your paws, because you have proved your souls are noble. This is what Princess Jade would have wanted!"

Seba was the first to speak, giving her a bow. "We are honored by this, elder."

She smiled. "Now young one, keep your head up. You earned this."

Everyone else smiled.

* * *

The next evening, it was finally time to go to the opera in the new National Center for the Performing Arts. The six friends were practically jumping out of their fur and hair with excitement. As they settled into their seats with Xiao, they filled him in on their adventures from the previous day. He was speechless with surprise and awe.

"Now I know I did the right thing when I asked you for help, Vi." said Xiao, causing said girl to blush.

Colette pulled the lacquer boxes out of her pawbag. "Here, Xiao. We brought these back safe and sound. We know that your mother would want them back."

Xiao smiled. "Thanks, Colette. I think she'll like the story I have for her even better than the boxes!"

Nicky shushed them "The opera is beginning!"

The five mouselings, Xiao and Seba fell silent as the curtain went up. Violet's heart swelled with pride when she saw her mother onstage. She looked at her friends and realized how lucky she was to have such wonderful rodents (and human) in her life.

* * *

After their adventure in China, Seba and the Thea Sisters had said their goodbyes to Xiao and Violet's parents as they decided to make their next stop.

New Mouse City.

They wanted to give their mentor and friend, Thea Stilton, a surprise visit since they were still on holiday. Seba pressed the button on the intercom.

"Hello? Who is it?" asked a voice that belonged to Thea.

"Surprise!" All six friends yelled into the intercom.

"Holey cheese!" I shrieked in delight. "Come on up, mouselings and human!"

Going up to her apartment, they were greeted with a hug by Thea. "Why aren't you all at Mouseford Academy? What brings you to New Mouse City?"

"A new adventure," Pam announced in her mysterious voice.

"And we got a free ferry ride from Vince Guymouse!" added Paulina, enjoying Thea's look of astonishment.

Violet came to her rescue. "Don't confuse her! Tell her everything in order while I go make us some tea."

They all sat down as they took turns speaking. Thea felt like she had been to China, despite having stayed in New Mouse City the entire time. There were a lot of twists and turns in their incredible adventure. Suddenly, she had a great idea for her next book to write about.

"What an amazing journey!" Thea squeaked as she looked through some photos from their trip. First was Violet's reunion with her parents, another was Xiao hugging a shocked Violet and a notable one was a group shot of Seba and the Thea Sisters.

"There's one last thing we have to show you." said Violet shyly.

"It's a surprise for you." Nicky put in.

"You'll definitely love it." Seba chimed in.

Pam pawed Thea the lacquer box. Carefully, she had opened it, which revealed the Jade of Truth! There was a note attached to it.

"For Thea, the keeper of our friendship! Love, Seba, Pamela, Nicky, Colette, Paulina and Violet."

* * *

Seba was standing by the balcony as he watched the night sky. Everyone else was having quite a fun time. He heard pawsteps, but didn't turn his head.

"So this is where you've been."

He didn't turn as he kept on looking. Violet walked right beside him to join him in the night session.

"The night looks beautiful in New Mouse City." she remarked.

"Yeah. Who would've thought?" he muttered.

The silence was there, though they could hear the noise inside Thea's apartment.

"So what was that nightmare about?" Seba asked.

"Hm?" Violet looked at him.

"You said that a nightmare helped you solve the puzzle of the lacquer box. Care to tell me?" he inquired.

She looked at him, contemplating this. She didn't want to trouble him, but she did tell him that they would share info with each other that might be important. Making an internal decision, she chose to tell him everything.

As she told him about the dragon, her friends tied up, the mountain of boxes and his death, his face managed to keep a neutral expression. When she finished, she looked worried as to how he would respond. Her worries increased as she noted the neutral expression.

What she didn't expect was that he flicked her snout.

"Ow!" she cried before glaring at him.

"You're so sensitive." Seba teased.

She huffed. "Well excuse me for worrying for a friend!"

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'm never going away permanently. That's for sure."

Violet looked annoyed from the hair ruffle, but gave a small smile as soon as she heard that declaration.

"In fact, I'm actually glad that you're all in my life." Seba said as he looked out through the sky. "Without you, I don't know what to do. At first, I thought that I was alone in this mouse city when my parents went missing. Until I met you five." He gave a small smile. "That's real magic that I'm going to treasure."

Seba slowly walked back into the apartment. "We better get back in. They're gonna wonder where we are."

Violet looked at him, startled by his statement. Glancing at his hand, it was balled into a fist. However when she took a closer look, he was holding onto the garnet that they got from China.

She couldn't remember when she gave her biggest and most genuine smile until now.


	6. Wong Fei Hung

**Wong Fei Hung:**

While the rest of the Thea Sisters were out doing their own thing, Violet was making tea for her and Seba as they lounged around the room. Seba was sketching a drawing while Violet was about to read a book.

As she was making the tea, she began softly humming a tune. As she continued to hum, Seba slowly lowered his sketchpad to raise an eyebrow at her. When she came in with the tray of teapot and cups, she stopped to see the human looking at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Seba tilted his head as he continued to stare.

"Was that the theme to Once Upon a Time in China?" he finally asked.

She stiffened and looked flustered. How did he know that?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" she denied.

He merely grinned. "You are! And you're giving me flak for it!"

"When you do it, you break out into a song!" she shot back.

"At least I know the lyrics." he retorted.

"You sing it out of tune! And on purpose!" she glared.

"Like you know how I sing!" he challenged.

"You've got a really nice singing voice! Why do you sing so badly on purpose?"

"I'm just singing my heart out!"

The Thea Sisters had walked in time to see the two bickering. From what they can make from the words, it was silly. The four looked at each other before sighing as Pamela tried to make the peace between them.

"Besides, how did you it was Once Upon a Time in China?" Violet asked.

"It's Wong Fei Hung! Everyone knows that!" he answered as he stretched his leg up in a kick.

Pamela definitely needed to calm the waters before chaos could ensure.


	7. The Secret City

**Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Secret City:**

The sun was high in the sky and blazing brightly. It was hotter than a freshly grilled cheese sandwich! On Whale Island, it was hard to find more than a square inch of shade.

Seba and the Thea Sisters had been hanging out in Hawk Woods for hours. Violet, Paulina and Colette were perched on a rock, armed with a video camera and binoculars, Nicky and Pamela were sitting on the branch of an old oak tree while Seba was relaxing under the same tree with the best piece of shade he could find. Nicky had her camera ready, Pamela was holding a powerful microphone capable of capturing even the faintest chirp and Seba was writing down their findings on a notepad.

The object of their attention was a small hole on the face of Mount Landslide.

A couple of hawks had built a nest there. The six friends wanted to capture the moment when the eggs hatched. If they could get the scoop for the school blog, it'd be bigger than a sighting of the Lochness Monster! They'd be sure to get the best grade in their writing class. It wasn't easy to get close to a hawk's nest!

Violet signaled her friends with one paw. Something was moving in the nest.

The time had come at last!

Right at that moment...

 **RING!**

Paulina's cellphone began ringing. She was so surprised that she nearly slipped off the edge of the cliff.

A shrill screech came from the hole in the rock.

The mother hawk had noticed them. And she was angrier than a cat with a bad case of fleas! Even Seba jumped up from the ground.

There went their scoop!

There was only one thing to do: Scamper off as fast as their paws could take them!

"Evasive maneuvers! Retreat!" Seba yelled as they ran.

However, Violet scurried back and dragged her away. "Does this seem like the right moment to be chattering?" she hissed. "If that falcon catches us, we're catnip!"

But she soon regretted the way she had spoke when she saw that her friend's big black eyes were filled with tears.

* * *

As soon as they got back to Mouseford Academy, Paulina headed straight to the headmaster's office. She was with Professor Octavius de Mousus for a full hour.

Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Violet and Seba waited for her outside the office door. They were worried about Paulina. As the minutes ticked by, they seemed to stretch longer and longer. Pamela, in particular, was growing impatient.

"What could be taking so long?" she cried. "I could've changed a flat tire while blindfolded in the time she's been in there!"

Nicky put a paw on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be out in a minute, Pam."

Pam nodded. "I just hope everything's okay."

Seba turned to Violet. "Do you know what happened to her?"

She looked at him. "When she finished her phone call, there were tears coming out from her eyes."

At that moment, Paulina emerged from the office. Her friends immediately gathered around her.

"Paulina," Colette began "If you have a problem...if you need help..."

"We need to know what's wrong!" exclaimed Pamela. "You're turning us into a bunch of worryrats here!"

"We're more than friends! We're sisters!" Nicky burst out. Seba reminded that he was a brother. "Tell us what's going on."

"Of course she will!" said Violet. "There aren't any secrets among the Thea Sisters and there never will be!" She looked at Seba. "Especially you, Seba."

The human merely whistled.

Paulina was moved by her friends' concern "You're right," she said as she led them back to the dormitory. "I will tell you everything while I pack my bags!"

"You're leaving?!" her friends shouted in unison as they scurried after her. Even Seba was startled by this announcement.

"Yes. I need to get back to Peru as soon as possible!" explained Paulina. She opened the door to their room. "That phone call was from my sister, Maria. One of our dear friends is in more trouble than a mouse at the annual cat convention!"

"No need for explanations!" Nicky cut her off. "You'll tell us during the trip. You didn't think we'd let you go by yourself, did you?"

"You mean you'll come to Peru with me?" asked Paulina.

"We'll make sure there are no more tears of sadness." Seba answered, the others agreeing.

Paulina smiled and exclaimed, "You're the best friends a mouse could ask for! Thank you!"

Before she'd finished speaking, her friends had started packing their bags.

* * *

After taking a boat to Mouse Island, the mouselings and human boarded a plane to Peru. Once Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, Violet and Seba had settled in for the flight, Paulina started to tell her story.

"Like I told you, I got a call from my sister, Maria," Paulina began. "It's Professor Sagefur. His son got lost, so he left by himself. But now he's in danger!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second," said Pamela. "Start from the beginning. I haven't understood a single squeak!"

"First, tell us who this professor is." suggested Violet.

Paulina pulled out a photo of her sister, Maria, when she was just a tiny mouseling. She was sitting on the lap of an older rodent wearing a Santa Mouse costume. "The mouse in the picture is Professor Sagefur."

"Who?! Santa Mouse?" asked Colette.

"Yes, the one dressed as Santa Mouse. This was a very sad Christmas for Maria and me. It was the first after out parents disappeared. Our aunt and uncle were taking care of us and they tried everything they could to cheer us up, but no one could get little Maria to crack a smile."

Paulina gave a small smile. "Then Professor Sagefur came along. He was an old friend of my mom and dad's. He dressed up in a Santa Mouse costume and he even got a carriage covered with little bells and drove us all over the city. As soon as she saw him in that costume, Maria started to smile!"

"What an incredible rodent!" commented Pamela. Seba nodded in agreement. This old rodent had his respect.

"Yes, he's really special. Maria is very close to him. When she called me, I just knew I had to get home and help her find him."

"So what happened to the professor?" asked Nicky.

"The professor and his son Gonzalo are famouse archaeologists," explained Paulina. "While Gonzalo was away on an expedition, he disappeared. For days and days, the professor waited but he didn't hear any news from his son. So finally, he left to go and look for him in the Andes, even though it's the rainy season! And now it's been days since Maria's heard from him. She's sick with worry."

"Don't worry, Paulina!" Violet said reassuringly. "We're here to help you. We'll find Professor Sagefur faster than you can say 'goat cheese Gorgonzola with pepper jack on top,' and we'll help him find Gonzalo too!"

"No more disappearing, that's for sure." Seba muttered as he turned to look out of the window.

* * *

After a long day and night of traveling, the Thea Sisters touched ground in the city of Cuzco.

"Wipe the sleep off your whiskers, mouselings and Seba!" exclaimed Colette. "Have you ever seen such a fabumouse sight?"

"Fabumouse is right!" agreed Violet, peering out of the plane window.

Before them was a graceful city nestled among mountain peaks. The red roofs of the houses glittered in the morning sunlight. After they scrambled off the plane, the mouselings and human found Maria and Paulina's aunt and uncle waiting for them.

"Big sister!" they heard Maria yell. The little mouseling was so excited, she was jumping up and down like a kangaroo. She threw her paws around Paulina, almost knocking her big sister down.

Paulina exclaimed, "By all that's cheesy and delicious, I can't even hold you up anymore! How much have you grown in these last few months?"

"Almost two inches!" answered Maria. Her eyes were gleaming with happiness. It was obvious that she had missed her sister. Paulina introduced her friends to Maria one by one. It was friendship at first sight between the little one, Seba and the Thea Sisters.

"Wow, I thought that humans were a myth!" Maria muttered in awe.

"From where I'm from, about a billion of humans actually exist." Seba told her. "You'll be able to see them in different hairstyles, bodies and clothes."

After they finished hugging and shaking paws, the group left the airport. Luckily, Uncle Pedro and Aunt Nidia had brought their pickup truck. All nine of the and their luggage (including the four huge pink suitcases Colette had brought!) fit easily.

* * *

After an hour's drive, they arrived at Uncle Pedro and Aunt Nidia's cozy mouse hole. Paulina immediately got out her laptop.

Before leaving Mouseford Academy, she had been exchanging e-mails with the Green Mice. They were an environmental organization with offices all over the world. The members of the group helped one another out by providing information and assistance. Thanks to the Peruvian members of the Green Mice, the mouselings and human had obtained detailed maps of the area Professor Sagefur was traveling through.

As Paulina checked on every detail of their expedition, Maria was curled up next to her. She wanted to keep her sister within paw's reach.

"Can I come with you?" she pleaded. "I'll be your assistant! I'll take notes faster than a puma and I'll carry more mozzarella snacks on my back than any llama in Peru!"

"It's too dangerous!" Aunt Nidia cried before Paulina could speak. "The Andes are filled with difficult climbs and poisonous creatures! They're no place for a little mouseling!" She ruffled Maria's fur lovingly.

Maria's disappointment was written all over her snout. Paulina put her paw around her sister, then pointed at her laptop. "Don't worry, Maria. I have a very important assignment for you."

Maria's eyes lit up as she looked up at her sister eagerly.

"With this computer, you can follow our path," explained Paulina. "You'll monitor our movements closely and contact us right away if we're headed in the wrong direction."

"Wait, are you saying this thing can see you all the way up there in the Andes?" Uncle Pedro asked in disbelief.

"Technology works in wonders." Seba mused.

Paulina smiled. "Maria won't see me in the fur and bone, but she will be able to see the satellite signal from my cellphone!" She turned back to her little sister. "This way, you'll never lose sight of our position, and you'll always know just where we are."

Uncle Pedro threw up his paws in exasperation. "Computers! Cellphones! Internet! E-mails! What do I know? I'm just an old-fashioned rodent!" He looked at Paulina. "I don't understand how it all works, but I trust you. If you tell me that this will help keep you safe, then I believe you."

Violet had another special job for Maria. "I can't bring Frilly with me," she began. Frilly was her pet cricket. "I hate to be separated from him, but I'm afraid he won't be able to stand the cold of the mountains. Would you be willing to take care of him for me?"

Maria's eyes lit up when she saw Frilly's tiny head pop out of his pumpkin home. "Of course I will, Violet! You can trust me! I'll be the best cricket-sitter in the world! You'll see!"

* * *

Two hours before sunrise the next morning, Seba and the Thea Sisters set out on their journey. The mouselings were sleepier than a hibernating badger. Paulina and Seba were the only ones who were completely awake. She sat next to her uncle, who was driving the van. He was taking them to the train bound for Machu Picchu.

Paulina was glad for the opportunity to ask him about Maria.

"Your sister is doing quite well!" her uncle assured her. "She misses you, that's only natural. But she is also very proud of you! She talks about Mouseford Academy as if she were there with you. She's always squeaking to her friends that one day she will go there and become a Thea Sister herself!"

"The little one seemed eager to go with us. I think she definitely has what it takes." Seba said.

Paulina was glad to hear Maria was doing so well. It was hard for her to be so far away from her beloved little sister.

"Still, she might feel really sad once she finds out that we left without goodbye." Seba muttered.

Paulina shook her head. "I left her a note before we left. Besides, this isn't goodbye."

He smiled. "You're right. It's a 'see you later'."

Meanwhile, outside the windows, the streets of Cuzco glowed in the light of the streetlamps.

"This place is so beautiful. It reminds me a little of home." Colette murmured, thinking wistfully of Paris.

When they reached the station, Paulina hugged her uncle. Seba had shook his paw.

"Take good care of her, Seba. She's the family we've got." Uncle Pedro requested.

"Of course." the human replied with an affirmative nod.

Then, Paulina and her friends scampered on board the train.

After nearly four hours, they arrived at Aguas Calientes. Paulina hurried to the car rental desk and rented an all-terrain vehicle.

Their next stop: Machu Picchu!

As Pam drove carefully along the twisting roads, Nicky, Colette and Violet kept calling out in amazement.

"Look, the mountains are covered in snow!"

"There's a llama!"

"And a herd of goats!"

Seba was sketching every detail of those sights. Paulina looked amazed and giggled at his drawing.

When they reached a certain height, they were struck squeakless. In front of them lay the ruins of Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. The city was perched below a rocky peak. The streets were laid out in a grid pattern that seemed to cling to the side of a grassy slope. The stone walls of its buildings looked ancient. It was an impressive sight.

"Thundering cat tails, it's amazing!" breathed Pamela.

"This reminds me of an outdoor labyrinth." Seba commented.

Paulina wished she could let her friends relax and enjoy the fantastic view of Machu Picchu. But she was desperate to carry out their mission: finding Professor Sagefur.

So the mouselings and human left the Urubamba River Valley for the vast Andean plateau, where many of the descendants of the Incas still live. Dark clouds covered the sun and a frigid wind swept through the area. The six friends followed a bare and uneven road without encountering another rodent.

"Are you sure anyone lives up here?" Nicky asked Paulina.

"If they do, they're probably smart enough to be inside, away from the cold," commented Violet. "I'm freezing my tail off!"

"I didn't think that South America could be this cold!" Seba shivered while wrapping his own arms. "The mainstream's a lie!"

"There! Down there!" Colette interrupted, pointing out her window. "Those are llamas, right?! There is even a shepherd!"

Paulina turned to look. Sure enough, there was a shepherd leading his flock. Finally, they'd found someone they could ask about Professor Sagefur!

The shepherd welcomed them with a friendly smile, which grew even wider when Paulina spoke to him in Quechua. He didn't have many opportunities to speak with anyone in that language, so he was happy to stop and chat.

"Yes, your friend the professor passed through here a few days ago. He was headed for the tampu, not to far away." He paused and looked up at the sky for a moment. "It would be wise for you to go there too. A storm is headed this way!"

The shepherd raised his eyes to the sky again, to point out the dark rain clouds. Then he suddenly turned pale and murmured, "K-Kuntur!"

Without saying goodbye, he herded his llamas together and led them away in a hurry.

"What was that about?" asked Pamela, surprised. "What does kuntur mean?"

"In Quechua, it means 'condor'," explained Paulina. She looked up at the sky, trying to figure out what had alarmed the shepherd. There was a condor circling above in between the dark cloud. "I don't understand why he scurried away like that. It's just a condor!"

Seba shook his head. "Condors are like 're carnivores. It was probably after the shepherd's flock."

Nicky blanched. She couldn't imagine her sheep being eaten by one of those critters!

"Well whatever the case, we should hurry up too so we can reach that shelter. It's definitely going to start raining any minute," cried Violet.

Before she could finish speaking, it started to pour!

* * *

It took Seba and the Thea Sisters an hour to get to the tampu. The rain came down so hard, they couldn't see their paws or hands when they held them up in front of their faces. Paulina drove at her slowest pace and she relied on the GPS to tell her which way to go. Twice, their car got stuck in holes filled with water. Three times they had to get out and push. Soon they were soaked!

"I am not getting out anymore!" Colette declared. She was a complete mess! "Let's stop and wait for the rain to end!"

Violet nodded in agreement. Her teeth were chattering from the cold.

Suddenly, they saw a small light twinkling in front of them.

"The tampu!" exclaimed Pamela.

Everyone rejoiced.

They all climbed out of the car and raced towards the shelter. As soon as they entered, they saw an older mouse bending over the fireplace. Paulina recognized him.

"Professor Sagefur!" she called out.

The professor was so surprised, that he almost tripped over his tail. Seeing Paulina there was the last thing he had expected!

"Well, tickle me with a cat-fur feather, it's Paulina! What are you doing here?!" he gasped.

"Professor, I'm here to help you look for Gonzalo!" she responded.

She flung her paws around him and the two of them hugged each other tight.

Paulina introduced the professor to all her friends, and they all settled down together.

"A human." Professor Sagefur mused. "I thought those were myths."

Seba shook his head and smiled. "My kind still lives."

Nicky lit the fire in the fireplace like a real camping expert. The mouselings and human took off their wet jackets and started drying off.

Paulina hurried back to the car to get a package from her luggage. It contained six hand-woven ponchos and six brightly colored wool caps. She pawed them out to her friends.

"These are a present from Aunt Nidia. They are handmade from alpaca wool, and they're warmer than a tabby-trim coat!" she told them.

When they put them on, Colette looked at Seba.

"What?" he asked.

"Even with those clothes on, you still manage to keep the goth look." Colette remarked.

He shrugged. "It's a gift."

A nice warm meal put a little color back in Violet's pale cheeks. Big bowls of soup with a lot of hot cheese were just what the six friends needed to warm up!

When they finished eating, they all gathered around the fireplace. It was time to review the situation.

"Tomorrow, I want to hire someone from the area to be my guide. But it's harder than finding a cheese slice in a haystack." the professor said, sighing.

"Why?" asked Pamela.

"The local mice are all terrified of the condor!" he responded.

"The kuntur again!" murmured Colette.

"That happened to us too, Professor!" explained Paulina. "We were asking a shepherd for information and he scurried away because he saw a condor!"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," said Professor Sagefur. "Everyone in the countryside has been squeaking about a condor with a terrible cry that has been chasing mice! Now fear has spread throughout these mountains faster than fleas on a feline, and no one wants to climb the peaks."

"Strange. Is it local superstition?" Seba pondered.

"I've never heard of such superstition before," Paulina said before she gained a determined look on her snout. "We came all the way here to help you, professor. Together, we will find Gonzalo."

"And no tears will be shed." Seba assured.

Professor Sagefur smiled. "Thank you. I truly appreciate what you all are trying to do for me."

"Do you have any idea where Gonzalo was headed?" asked Violet.

The professor had a grave look on his snout. "Yes, I'm afraid so. He climbed Huayna Picchu! It is a very challenging summit. Gonzalo had trained well, but that mountain has gotten the best of better climbers."

Seba clutched his fist. This might be a challenge compared to the Tibetan mountains.

* * *

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly. It looked as if all the mud and puddles would dry up quickly. But the road was a mess. Driving would be too dangerous. Professor Sagefur, Seba and the Thea Sisters needed to proceed on paw. The professor decided to find a few llamas to carry the remaining food and equipment.

"Do we really need llamas?" asked Nicky. "We're as strong as pack rats! We can carry our own belongings."

The professor smiled. "I like your spirit, Nicky! But we're going to be climbing to a very high altitude, witha lot less oxygen than we're used to. It would be exhausting to scale those heights with even a very light backpack."

While the professor was haggling over the price of the llamas, the mouselings and human made friends with two young shepherds. They were looking after what looked like baby llamas.

"These are alpacas," Paulina explained to her friends. "Try petting them. They're really soft!"

"They are adorable! And their fur is softer than a calico cat's!" remarked Colette as she hugged an alpaca.

The shepherds laughed at Colette's amazement. Paulina decided to ask them about Gonzalo: Maybe one of them had seem him.

"Yes, I remember him," said the younger shepherd. "He is a cheerful and courageous rodent!"

"Courageous?" inquired Paulina. "What did he do to make you think he was courageous?"

The shepherd lowered his squeak and looked around fearfully. "Kuntur! The condor zoomed down from the sky and headed straight for us! Its wings covered the sun and its cries made all my animals run away."

"What did Gonzalo do?" asked Paulina."He didn't run. He is a very brave rodent!"

"Then what? What did he do next?"

The shepherd shrugged. "I don't know. I had to chase after my animals. But one thing is certain: If he escaped that condor, not only is he a courageous rodent, he's also very lucky!"

Seba looked up at the sky, just away from the sun. Maybe it was superstition.

* * *

The little group set out slowly, scampering in a single file. Professor Sagefur was right. Even the slightest big of effort was difficult for those who were not used to the altitude. Without the llamas, they wouldn't have been able to bring all the equipment and food they needed. As the path climbed higher, it became narrower and rockier.

"This is an old Incan road," explained the professor. "Look at the cobblestones. Do you see the spot where they're not covered up by plants and shrubs? They are all placed together using the same technique. The Incas were great people and wonderful builders."

"I can see that." Seba remarked as he observed his surroundings.

"What do you think Gonzalo is looking for up there on Huayna Picchu?" asked Paulina.

Professor Sagefur didn't answer right away. He stopped to check on the rest of the crew. Everyone was tired except for Pamela, Paulina and Seba.

"Some mice adapt more easily to the altitude than others." he told them.

Not so far away was a clearing that was big enough to set up camp. "Let's stop here," the professor proposed. "We can rest and drink some hot tea and I will tell you Gonzalo's story. Then we will set up the tents for nightfall."

When they had all settled in with their piping hot cups, the professor began to tell the story.

"Our tale begins a long time ago, in 1532, when the conquistadors arrived in Peru. They were under the command of Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish had never in their lives seen so many riches! They took Atahualpa, the emperor of the Incas, as their prisoner, and they forced the Incas to pay an enormouse ransom for him. So the Incas filled Atahualpa's entire cell with gold. Then they filled two more rooms with silver! All that was just a tiny portion of the immense treasure of the Incas. Most of it was hidden and never found again."

"And now Gonzalo is looking for the hidden treasure?" Paulina asked breathlessly.

The professor nodded. "The legend speaks of a secret city, built in order to save the treasure from greedy invaders."

"A sort of enormouse safe!" interrupted Nicky.

Professor Sagefur smiled. "Exactly! Mice have searched for this safe for centuries. Hiram Bingham, the explorer, thought he had found it when he discovered Machu Picchu, but there was no trace of the treasure. After many disappointments, he ended up believing that the Secret City was just a legend."

"But your son does not believe that is true?" asked Colette.

The professor shook his snout. "Ever since he was little, Gonzalo has dreamed of finding the Incas' treasure! He studied a lot and became an expert archaeologist. His greatest fear is that the secret city will be found by unscrupulous rodents. Some mice are capable of destroying important evidence of a great civilization if it means they can go home rich. But Gonzalo longs to discover the secret city not to become rich, but for the joy of knowledge. Because in the end, there is no wealth greater than knowledge! Remember this, mouselings and human: It is very important to discover the past if you want to understand the present."

Seba and the Thea Sisters nodded. They were impressed by the professor's devotion to knowledge.

Violet nudged Nicky. "Doesn't he remind you of Thea?" she whispered. That sounds like something she would squeak."

Nicky nodded with a smile.

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, the mouselings, human and Professor Sagefur set off together. Everyone had more energy than a pack of rats at the World Cheese Convention. Even Colette, Nicky and Violet were getting used to the altitude.

The path they were following twisted around the side of the mountain. After many bends and turns, the explorers found themselves on the other side with a vast gorge in front of them.

There was no more road. They'd reached the end of a high cliff! At the bottom of the gorge below was a rocky stream. There was only one way forward: on a narrow bridge made of rope!

"Looks like we've reached the end of the line." declared Nicky.

"Chewy cheese curds! I thought things like this only happened in the movies!" exclaimed Pamela.

"It's not as fragile as it looks," said Paulina. "I crossed one a few years ago and it was much easier than I expected."

The suspended bridge was made of agave fiber threaded together into many cables. At its bottom, there was a narrow platform of wooden planks designed to make crossing easier.

Paulina had already begun to step forward, but Professor Sagefur stopped her. "Wait, Paulina! I'll go first! I want to see if it is as strong as it seems."

The professor took a few quick steps. Soon he'd reached the center of the bridge.

Suddenly, he began jumping up and down.

Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Violet and Seba shot another looks of bewilderment.

"What is he doing? Has he shorted a circuit in is brain?" Pamela exclaimed, petrified.

Nicky was stunned. "Does he think he's a kangaroo?"

"I think the cheese has slipped off his cracker." murmured Colette.

"The wood might break if he keeps on doing that." Seba gasped.

"Stop, professor! Stop! It's dangerous!" begged Violet. Her fur had turned as white as mozzarella.

But the professor just laughed as he bounced up and down. "Don't worry, my little cheddar crisps! The bridge is solid. If a stout old mouse like me can use it as a trampoline, it should be safe for us, the llamas and all the and all out equipment."

Suddenly, the professor noticed Violet's pale snout. "Are you alright, Violet? Are you afraid of heights?"

Violet was speechless with fright. Her eyes were fixed on the bottom of thee ravine. All she could do was nod.

Professor Sagefur scampered back to the group and put a paw around Violet's shoulder. "Don't think about it! Help me make sure the packages on the llamas are balanced evenly. Meanwhile, your friends can go ahead!"

Paulina went first. She scampered forward very slowly but without hesitation, keeping her steps even. When she'd reached the other side, she turned around and shouted encouragement to her friends. "You see? It hardly rocks at all!"

Professor Sagefur laughed. "Good job, Paulina! Now come on, mouselings and human. Have courage! Let's hurry up. I'm as hungry as a mountain lion!"

Nicky and Colette were next. They looked a bit uncertain, but they went ahead.

Violet didn't feel ready yet. "Why don't you two stay here with her?" the professor suggested to Pamela and Seba. "I'll take the llamas to the other side and then come back to get you."

The llamas seemed perfectly at ease on the wobbly bridge. One got a little nervous when the professor tried to put a rope around its neck. Then it yanked itself free, spit in the professor's snout and crossed the bridge in a hurry.

"Leaping llamas' legs!" sputtered the professor, wiping his snout with one paw. "That was truly awful!"

Pamela burst out laughing, Seba chuckled and even Violet cracked a smile.

Slowly, Violet, Pam, Seba and Professor Sagefur stepped onto the bridge. From down below, they could hear the rumble of the angry river current. Violet's body began to shake in fear, but Seba offered a hand to her. Looking at it, she slowly took it as they made their way.

"As you walk, try to think about something else," the professor advised Violet. "Concentrate on something nice!"

Violet nodded nervously. She began humming a sweet song that her grandmother Lotus Flower had always sung when she'd tucked Violet in for the night. Despite herself, she smiled.

Holding tightly to that happy memory, Violet took one pawstep at a time. Thanks to Seba's added guidance, she'd reached the other end of the bridge before long!

"That was pretty awesome. Way to go." said Seba as he slowly let go of Violet's paw before he looked away so that no one could see his smile.

"Professor, come take a look!" Paulina called in a loud squeak. She'd been looking for a good place to rest and she'd come across the remains of another campsite.

"Someone stopped ere. Maybe it was Gonzalo!" exclaimed Pamela.

"It could be..." the professor examined the signs on the ground. "Yes! These pawprints look fresh."

Just then, a deafening shriek came out of nowhere!

Professor Sagefur, Seba and the Thea Sisters pressed themselves up against the side of the cliff and covered their ears. Terrified, the three llamas ran away. What was making that terrible sound?

"It's the kuntur!" yelled Pamela, pointing toward the sky.

Behind the dark clouds that were covering the sun was the shadow of a bird. An enormous bird!

"It's going to attack us!" cried Nicky.

"I'm too young to be condor chum!" exclaimed Seba.

"Seek shelter, quickly!" shouted the professor.

This time, the condor's cry was followed by a sinister hiss. But no one looked to see where it came from. They were running!

Everyone raced for shelter as fast as they could.

The mouselings, Seba and Professor Sagefur were so busy scurrying away, they accidentally split up. Violet, Pam and the professor turned right. After a few feet, they found shelter in a cave.

Nicky, Paulina, Colette and Seba ran the other way, to the left. But they weren't as lucky as their friends. They couldn't find anywhere to hide! And the cries of the condor were getting closer and closer.

At last, Nicky, Paulina, Colette and Seba saw some bushes and jumped in them. Before they realized what was happening, the ground crumbled underneath them!

 **"HEEEELLLPP!"**

The four friends slid down the rockslide. All around them, iit was darker than the inside of a cat's mouth. THe rock underneath them was moist from the moss. There was nothing to grab.

"I feel like I'm on a waterslide! Without the water!" cried Nicky.

"How can you joke at a time like this?" cried Colette.

"We're going all out with a smile!" exclaimed Seba.

"Will...we...ever...hit...bottom?" Paulina wondered aloud as she bumped along thanks to the rocks.

Until suddenly...

 **THUMP!**

Their long tumble was over at last.

For a few moments, there was only silence. Then one at a time, the four friends began to speak.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" moaned Colette.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Paulina.

"No, of course not! Nothing is alright!" shouted Colette, causing Seba to wince at the volume thanks to the echo. "We have fallen into the middle of a mud puddle, my tail is all bruised, I think I tore a hole in my pants, and here is the straw that broke the llama's back: I broke a pawnail!"

A bright light shining at her snout silenced Colette. Nicky had pulled out her pocket flashlight and was aiming it at her friend. "Oh, Colette. Don't be such a drama mouse. Come on, get up!"

"Besides, we've gone through stuff as bad as this." Seba reminded as he began to stand up.

Paulina scrambled up and brushed herself off. "Let's see if we can figure out where we've ended up." She helped Colette up while Nicky led the way.

The light from the flashlight was very dim, but little by little, their eyes got used to the dark. They advanced along a tunnel that was narrow but tall enough to stand up in. The walls were weirdly smooth. Even the ground seemed to be paved.

Despite the lack of light, Paulina, Nicky, Colette and Seba scampered along quicker than gerbils on a treadmill.

"It almost seems as if someone dug this tunnel out of the rock." observed Paulina.

"Maybe someone has been here." theorized Seba.

"You're right!" replied Nicky.

Just then, the flashlight's beam fell on a statue.

"Saint fromage, that is scary! What is it?" exclaimed Colette.

"It's an Incan sculpture," said Paulina. She stepped closer to get a better look.

"I wonder if it's some sort of guardian," mused Nicky.

"A guardian of what?" asked Paulina.

Nicky slowly aimed the flashlight along the wall. At first, it appeared blank, but then she spotted an opening.

"Of that door!" she gasped.

"Now this is interesting." Seba mused as they went through the door.

In the pitch black, Nicky's small flashlight was not very helpful. They caught a glimpse of a spacious room with walls covered with pictures. Cheese niblets! Had they end up in an Incan tomb?

Suddenly, a shadowy figure flung itself at them!

"SQUEEEEEAK!" cried Colette.

Something struck Nicky's arm. The flashlight fell from her paws and went out. They were in complete darkness!

"No way!" cried Nicky. "It's like we're the three blind mice all over again!"

"Four if you count me." Seba added.

"Don't worry, I've got him!" yelled Paulina.

Nicky and Colette tried to give her a paw, but they found themselves roughly shoved against the wall.

"Paws off the fur, you slimy sewer rat!" yelled Colette, punching the air. She hit Paulina by accident. Caught off guard, Paulina let go of her captive.

The shadowy figure seized the opportunity to run off. But suddenly, the figure was punched out by Seba.

"Gotcha!" Seba exclaimed.

Then all was quiet.

At last, a thin silver of light illuminated the scene. Nicky had found her flashlight.

"Show me your snout, you cowardly tomcat!" she shouted, pointing it at him. Finally, Colette, Nicky, Paulina and Seba had a good look at him.

"Why, it's Gonzalo!" cried Paulina.

They had found Professor Sagefur's son!

"Uh, my bad." Seba apologized sheepishly.

"P-Paulina?!" Gonzalo stuttered in surprise. For three seconds, the two of them stared at each other in silence, too shocked to speak. Then they threw their paws around each other.

Gonzalo was happy. "Paulina, it's been so long since we last saw each other! I almost didn't recognize you!"

Colette was the first one to break up the happy reunion. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think it would be better to continue this conversation back outside. In daylight."

"Yeah, might not wanna accidentally beat the living stuffing out of each other." Seba remarked.

"Ditto!" exclaimed Nicky. "Let's get out of here!"

Gonzalo gestured for the mouselings to follow him. Together, all four mice and one human made their way down the dark tunnel.

"The exit is this way," explained Gonzalo. "You came in through the...er...back door."

Seba facepalmed.

Gonzalo, Colette, Nicky, Paulina and Seba scampered along the long corridor, heading slightly uphill. After a few turns, they finally saw the light of day! They emerged right outside of the cave where Pamela, Violet and the professor had found shelter.

"Dad!" cried Gonzalo.

"Gonzalo!" exclaimed Professor Sagefur.

The professor and his son hugged each other tight. And so did Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina and Violet! They were relieved to find one another safe and sound.

Seba left himself out. "Keep your sappiness away from me! I'm too all-knowing!"

The Thea Sisters looked at each other and gave each other devious smirks. In surprise, they all dragged him into a group hug.

"You know, even the 'All-Knowing' Seba needs warm hugs for comfort!" Pamela exclaimed.

"Resistance is futile!" Nicky added.

"Alright, alright! I get it!" Seba grumbled.

Paulina quicky introduced Gonzalo to her five friends. There had been so much excitement, Professor Sagefur suggested they make their campsite right where they were standing.

"It's time for some tea!" proposed Violet. She was eager to celebrate their reunion.

Unfortunately, the llamas had run away with all their food! And who could blame them? Everyone had been terrified by the condor's mysterious attack.

"There's nothing to do but go on a llama hunt." Paulina said with a sigh.

"Someone get the rope." Seba requested.

Luckily, Nicky and Pamela found the llamas in a field nearby, grazing peacefully. Twenty minutes later, the group had all their equipment and provisions. They settled into their new campsite.

"You must forgive me for my behavior back there," said Gonzalo, sipping his tea. "In the dark, I mistook you for my attackers."

"Yeah, sorry about the shiner there," Seba replied as he added medicine on Gonzalo's eye to heal the swelling. "I thought that you were also an attacker."

"What attackers?" asked his father, worried.

"Three nasty mice jumped me out of nowhere. I didn't realize it at the time, but they'd been following me!" explained Gonzalo. "They stole everything I had, even my notebooks! And to think that I came so close to the secret city!"

"That's terrible!" cried Nicky.

"They were a real pack of cheeseheads," stated Gonzalo. "I fought with all my might, and eventually I was able to escape. I ran off and hid in a cave."

"That must be the same cave we hid in!" said Professor Sagefur.

"It certainly looks like it," said Gonzalo. "That's where I discovered these old Incan remains. I found amazing objects and engravings!"

"But why did you stay here?" asked his father. "You've been missing for two weeks! I didn't hear a squeak out of you! I was so worried. Why didn't you turn around and ask for help?"

Gonzalo lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, dad! I didn't mean to worry you so much, but I really couldn't turn around! I needed to keep an eye on those rat burglars. I wanted to find out who they were so I could report them. I was terrified they'd enter the secret city. And I wanted to be sure that they didn't ruin or rob the amazing antiquities there!"

"So it was either fight or flight." Seba mused as he gently placed a bandage on the swollen eye.

Professor Sagefur was silent. He had a stern look on his snout. "You are a reckless son, Gonzalo!" His expression turned into a smile. "But you are a great archaeologist! I'm proud of you."

"Were you able to find out who your attackers were?" asked Paulina.

Gonzalo nodded. "They are Paco Manadunca's henchmice!"

"Paco Manadunca?! That sorry excuse for a rodent!" exclaimed Professor Sagefur. He had turned bright red with indignation. "He is also an archaeologist." he explained to the Thea Sisters.

Gonzalo nodded. "Professor Manadunca is an archaeologist who is very highly regarded by many. But my father and I have long suspected that he's sneaky and dishonest."

"Still, I never would have thought that he would be capable of something like this," Professor Sagefur said, shaking his snout.

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything, dad," said Gonzalo. "Manadunca is greedy, treacherous and dangerous. He's been spying on me ever since I found the quipu. He even pretended to be excited about my research!"

"Oh, yes. Excited to steal it!" Professor Sagefur's whiskers were shaking with rage.

"Easy professor," Seba said, patting him on the back gently. "You wouldn't wanna have a stroke, now do you?"

"Excuse me, but what is the kip...the chip...you know, what you said?" interjected Pamela, having trouble with pronouncing it.

"Quipu is the incan form of record keeping," explained Gonzalo.

"You found a quipu?" asked Paulina.

"Yes, I was lucky enough to find a quipu that reveals the location of the secret city. But somehow Mandunca got his greedy paws on my notes. He followed me up to steal my discovery!"

Pamela took out the raven's feather, which she'd been keeping in her pocket. "Gonzalo, is there a condor in your story? One that squawks like a loudspeaker, spits out motor oil and is covered in raven's feathers?"

"Aren't you a smartypaws, Pamela!" said Gonzalo, beaming at her.

"That is great, but um, would you be so kind as to explain it to us too?" asked Colette, who was having trouble keeping up with all the news.

"Yes, please do!" added Professor Sagefur. "What does Manadunca have to do with the condorr?"

"It's not a real condor! It's a motorized hang glider disguised as a condor," explained Gonzalo. "Manadunca and his henchmice have covered it in feathers. They're using it to scare the local mice!"

"But why? asked Colette.

"Once Manadunca discovered the location of the secret city, he wanted to keep curious mice away!" answered Gonzalo. "He was sure he'd be able to get in easily."

"So he created a new kind of superstition without arousing suspicion." Seba pondered.

"But if they are still using the fake condor to scare rodents away, that must mean that Manadunca hasn't found what he was looking for!" Violet squeaked slowly.

"Your friends are really brainy, Paulina!" exclaimed Gonzalo. "That's right: He wasn't able to find the city on his own! That's why Manadunca had his henchmice attack me and steal my notebooks. But my notes don't explain how to open the door of the sun, which is the only way to get into the secret city."

"It would probably be easier for him to destroy the door than to open it!" blurted Professor Sagefur.

At his words, everyone fell silent. It was as if the shadow of an enormous cat had fallen over them.

"Yes, a slimy sever rat like Manadunca would stop at nothing if it meant he could get his hands on the hidden Incan treasure," said Gonzalo.

"It sounds like you think he would even destroy the Secret City!" cried Paulina.

"Hearing as to what kind of rat Manadunca is, it's no surprise!" interjected Seba.

"I still do not quite understand," said Colette. "Where exactly is the Secret City?"

Gonzalo pointed up. "It's right there!"

Nicky leaped to her paws. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go stop him!"

Inspired by Nicky's words, the Thea Sistters, Seba, Gonzalo and the professor left the cave and scurried back along the path. Soon they'd arrived at the foot of a stairway. Above them stood the walls of the Secret City!

"What an extraordinary sight!" Seba exclaimed as he looked marveled.

"No one but us has seen this in almost five hundred years," breathed Paulina.

At the center of the walls, the Door of the Sun gleamed like a beacon. It had been closed for centuries, protecting the Incan treasures that lay within.

Manadunca's shrill squeak echoed down from above. The Sagefurs, the Thea Sisters and Sebastian Silverstone exchanged looks of dismay. They could just make out what he was saying, and it confirmed their worst fears.

Paco Manadunca had decided to knock down the Door of the Sun!

Manadunca had tried everything to open it. He'd even tried waiting for Gonzalo to get there, in hopes that his notes would contain the solution to the enigma. But no! The door refused to open.

"Enough! I'm sick of this rat race!" he shouted. "What do I care if I break a door down? There are treasures much more precious than this strip of gold in there!"

Manadunca and his three henchmice decided to set up three small piles of explosives at the bottom of the door.

There was no time to lose!

"We must stop them!" cried the professor.

"I think I have an idea." said Paulina.

"Let's hear it now." replied Seba.

The little group huddled together for some frantic chatter. Soon, a plan emerged: Gonzalo would get Manadunca's attention while the Thea Sisters, Seba and the professor, who would be hiding close by, would prepare a big surprise for them!

Professor Sagefur clasped Gonzalo's paw. "Are you ready, son?"

"I'm ready. I won't let you down, dad!" With that, Gonzalo scampered up the stairs.

"Wait, Paco!" he shouted, running up the last steps. "I won't let you destroy that door!"

Manadunca and his henchmice were so startled, they practically jumped out of their fur. But when they saw that Gonzalo was alone, they smirked at one another.

"And who's going to stop me?" sneered Manadunca. "You?!"

"I'll report you!" replied Gonzalo. "All of Peru will find out that you're nothing more than a lousy rat burglar!"

"Get him!" ordered Manadunca, and his henchmice sprang at Gonzalo.

But the younger Sagefur was one pawstep ahead of them. He raced to one side toward the rocks and made a flying leap into some bushes. Then he scurried away, crashing through the tangled vines and branches.

Unfortunately, the henchmice were gaining on him. They were about to nab him when they stumbled over trip rope! The three thugs collapsed in a heap.

Slowly, they began to rise up.

"Hey." a voice called from behind.

Before one of the henchmice turned around, Seba landed a powerful roundhouse kick to the side of the snout, making him fly along with the second thug. The third tried to punch him, but Seba caught it with an arm twist, before delivering three kicks. One to the knee, one to the hip and the knockout to the snout.

The thug fell to the floor. Before his partners could realize what was going on, the Thea Sisters jumped on them and all three goons were tied up like flies in a spiderweb!

"Did you really have to hit them so hard?" Paulina asked Seba.

"Let's just say that it's retribution for putting what the Sagefurs had been through." replied Seba. He had a point there.

As for Paco Manadunca, Professor Sagefur saw to him. He roped him with a lasso.

Manadunca was angrier than a lion on a leash!

He would even get angrier when Seba taunted him.

* * *

Now that Manadunca and his henchmice were out of commission, it was up to Gonzalo and his father to open the Door of the Sun! Seba and the Thea Sisters stared at the door in awe.

"I do not think I have ever seen anything so fabumouse." breathed Colette.

Along the two sides were two identical handles. Pamela reached toward one, but Professor Sagefur quickly stopped her.

"Nobody touch them! They could spring a booby trap." he warned them.

"This is quite a dilemma!" said Violet. "If we make the wrong choice, we could end up in real trouble!"

Paulina smiled thoughtfully. "The solution could be much simpler than we think. This situation reminds me of the fable of the evil king and the clever prisoner that my mother used to tell me when I was little! I loved that story. I never got tired of listening to it."

Everyone gathered around Paulina to listen to her tale.

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there was an evil king who took many prisoners. In his kingdom, it was tradition that one prisoner would be freed every year, during the Festival of the Sun. But the king had no use for that tradition, so he thought up a way to trick his subjects._

 _The king said to one prisoner, "I will put a ball of silver under another. If you can guess where the piece of gold is, I will free you. Otherwise you will stay in jail!"_

 _The king was very tricky. He put a piece of silver under both of the vases. There was no gold piece at all!_

 _The prisoner realized he was being tricked, but he couldn't accuse the king of cheating! He had to choose one of the vases._

* * *

"So?" said Nicky eagerly. "How was the prisoner able to save himself?"

"Chewy cheese dumplings, I think I've got it!" cried Violet. "He just chose one of the vases and said there was silver under it."

"Violet's right!" said Paulina. "The prisoner pointed to one of the two vases and said, 'There is a ball of silver under this one! So the piece of gold must be under the other one.' He lifted the vase and showed everyone the ball of silver. Then the king was forced to free him, because if he'd revealed that there was no ball of gold under the other vase, he would have exposed his trick!"

The professor laughed. "Very clever! The only way not to call the king a liar would be to choose one of the vases. Either of them! And we will do the same thing with these handles that are here to trick us. It doesn't matter which handle we pick. We can choose either!"

Professor Sagefur placed his right paw on one of the handles and turned it slowly. He heard something release.

 **CLACK!**

At first, nothing happened. Then the ground started to tremble and the ancient gears begin to turn. Very slowly, the door creaked open!

"This is so exciting." whispered Pamela.

"I can compare this to the Promise Land." Seba muttered.

Gonzalo turned to Manadunca. "You are a liar and a thief, but you are still an archaeologist, and this is an extremely important moment for archaeology. It is only right that you come with us."

"Any funny tricks and you'll be having a plate of knuckle sandwiches." Seba threatened, causing the thief to gulp.

Gonzalo and Pamela made sure that Manadunca's henchmice were safely tied up. Then the little group crossed the threshold of the Door of the Sun!

* * *

The door opened into a semicircular room. From there, three corridors extended in different directions. A faint light shone down from small windows near the roof.

"But where is the real city?" asked Colette. "Where are all the streets and buildings?"

"It isn't a real city," explained Gonzalo. "No one has ever lived here. This place was used only to protect the treasure."

"They probably meant that the whole area is as big as a city." Seba guessed.

Gonzalo nodded. "You might be right about that, Seba."

"So I'm guessing the treasure won't be right at our pawtips, will it?" said Nicky.

"Whoever said that treasure seeking was easy?" Seba rhetorically asked.

"You know how to find it, don't you son?" the professor asked Gonzalo.

But the answer wasn't what his father was expecting. "No, dad. I don't have a clue!"

"How could that be, Gonzalo?!" Professor Sagefur cried in surprise. "You brought us all the way here for nothing?"

Gonzalo shrugged. "We'll have to put our best paw forward. The treasure is most likely hidden within the labyrinth. Back in ancient times, the Incas built elaborate mazes to hide their treasures. We'll have to try not to get lost and I have an idea to prevent that from happening!"

Gonzalo took a long rope from Manadunca's equipment. They would use it to mark the path they had already taken so they could find their way back.

He turned to face his friends. "Keep your eyes open! There could be traps!"

They set out through the door in the middle. Gonzalo quickly untied Manadunca. "Now that we're so close to the treasure, I know that you won't try to run away."

"If you do, knuckle sandwich time!" Seba cheerfully reminded, making Manadunca sweat bullets.

The little group soon found themselves at their first crossroads and Gonzalo decided which path to take. As they made their way through the maze, he unraveled the rope to mark the road they'd taken.

Professor Sagefur and Manadunca followed close behind him. Next came Seba and the five Thea Sisters. When a wall blocked their path, they were able to change direction without getting confused, thanks to the rope.

The labyrinth's corridors were tall and narrow, with small windows near the roof. The group stayed in the shadows. They could just barely make out the pictures that decorated the walls. The ground was covered with colored stones.

Thus far, they hadn't encounted any booby traps. It seemed like they weren't in any danger, until...

 **THUMP!**

Manadunca tripped on a stone that was slightly higher than the others. With a mighty rumble, the ground began to open up. The stones at his paws crumbled, revealing an enormous abyss. Where there had been a ground before, now there was an endless pit.

"Watch the gap!" cried Nicky. She stopped a ledge inside the wall and threw herself at it. All the mouselings and Seba leaped after her. They were safe!

But Manadunca was not. "Help!" he shouted. He was hanging on to the edge of the abyss with one paw.

Gonzalo reached for him. "Grab my paw!"

With the professor's help, Gonzalo was able to pull him to safety. Now however, there was another problem. Seba and the mouselings were on the other side.

They were separated!

"Wait here!" Gonzalo shouted to Seba and the Thea Sisters. "We will continue with the help of the rope. We'll come back and get you as soon as we can!"

With that, the three archaeologists disappeared into the intricate labyrinth once more. But the mouselings and human soon spotted a flaw in Gonzalo's plan.

"Maybe the right direction is the one on our side!" said Pamela.

"None of us really know since the pit caused such a blunder." Seba reminded.

"If we keep going, we might even find another exit." added Nicky.

"I say let's keep going!" said Violet. "But how will we make sure we don't get lost?"

"Good point, Vi. We do not have rope." Colette observed sadly.

Paulina thought it over. Then she took out a small notebook and a pen from her pack.

"We'll use this!" she said. "At every crossroad, I'll write down whether we turned left or right. That way, if we need to turn back, we can avoid the roads that we were already on!"

As soon as they reached the first fork, Paulina wrote down a number and a letter: 1R.

"What does that mean?" asked Violet.

"First fork, right," responded Paulina. "1L would mean first fork, left. 2R for the second fork, right. And so on."

"Fabumouse!" Pamela exclaimed, squeezing Paulina's paw. "The simplest ideas are the ones that work best. You're a genius!"

"It would be much more easier if I brought spray cans." Seba muttered.

"You'd be defacing history." Nicky said, giving him a stern frown.

"Oh yeah."

* * *

The labyrinth was really complicated. Going forward was very difficult! Plus, they were afraid that another trap would open under their paws, as had happened to Manadunca.

Seba and the Thea Sisters proceeded in single file, stepping only on the rocks that Paulina, who was leading them, had stepped on.

"We are moving slower than a fat cat after a lunchtime feast!" complained Colette.

"Patience is the key to victory." Seba replied.

The labyrinth was testing their nerves and their patience, but the worst was still to come. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound.

"Uh-oh, what was that?" asked Violet, alarmed. The six friends looked around, but they didn't see anything unusual.

Then something hit them. And something else. And another. And still another!

An avalanche of clay balls were raining down on the explorers! They were coming from every direction.

"Oh, real nice! Those cavemice must be rolling in their graves right now!" Seba exclaimed, feeling the brunt of the clay balls.

Seba and the five Thea Sisters dashed out of the room as balls poured down on them.

They scurried out the only exit they spotted. Immediately, a door slid down from the ceiling, closing them in!

They found themselves locked in a tiny dark room without doors or windows.

"We're trapped!" cried Paulina.

"God damnit!" yelled Seba.

"I can't believe we're trapped!" sputtered Violet.

"There must be a way out of here! There has got to be!" cried Colette.

Pamela was despairing. "This is worse than the time I got my paw stuck in a glue trap." she said, sighing.

Seba raised an eyebrow at her. "How'd that happen?"

She turned to him, depressed. "Boxcar racing."

"Ah." Seba replied, before banging on the wall. "Someone! Let us out!"

"How are we going to get out of here?" asked Paulina. For the first time, she looked glum.

Nicky was so worried, she didn't speak a word. She just leaned against the wall, trying to figure out what to do next. As she did, she thought she felt the wall behind her move. Was it possible?

Nicky touched the wall again. It seemed just like the other, but when she touched it she realized it was different from the other walls in the labyrinth. It wasn't made of stone.

"Moldy brie, it's wood!" exclaimed Nicky. "I mean, it's a fake wall!"

The mouselings and human all gathered around to touch the wall.

"It's really made of wood!" said Pamela, tapping it with one paw. It sounded hollow.

"This must be a secret door. See how it's painted to look like the others? I'll bet it hides a secret passageway!" declared Paulina.

Colette pushed on the wall with all her might. It shook, but it didn't move. "But how do we get it open?"

Seba delivered a sole kick to the wall. "The wood is sturdy, so banging it down is definitely out of the question."

"I have an idea!" said Violet. She tried something a little different: using her paws to move the wall to one side. "Maybe it's a sliding door," she explained.

"Let's give it a shot." Seba said as he joined her.

Violet's intuition was right: The door slid sideways. In front of them was the most important hallway of all.

"This way to the treasure!" shouted Paulina. All five mouselings jumped up and down and hugged one another in jubilation.

"No time for celebration just yet." Seba reminded them. "We need to get to that treasure quickly."

No qualms there as they all scampered towards the treasure room.

As they ran, they could just make it out at the end of a short corridor.

Paulina was in the lead with Seba beside her with their four friends right behind her. As Seba and the Thea Sisters peeked into the treasure room, their eyes grew as round as wheels of Swiss cheese. It was an enormous room, held up by tall pillars. The walls were covered with colorful pictures. They ceiling was midnight blue and it looked like an enchanting starry sky.

The room was filled with gorgeous objects, all placed there with great care. They didn't know where to look first. In one corner were beautiful vases. In another was some strange equipment. Then another was full of fabrics and looms. The rest were closed jars.

There was a lot of dust and spiderwebs, of course, but most of the objects had resisted the damage of time. They seemed almost perfectly preserved. The room felt more like the centerpiece of an incredible museum than an enormous safe that was more than five hundred years old. It was like peering through a window from the present into the past.

Seba and the Thea Sisters scattered about the great room. They were fascinated by all the marvels it contained.

"Crusty kitty litter, what a strange treasure!" exclaimed Paulina.

"It's true!" admitted Pamela, looking around. "There are no treasure chests filled with gold and precious gems."

"Only vases, statues and fabumouse fabrics," said Colette, turning slowly around to get a better look at everything.

"And to think that all this is only around five hundred years old." Seba remarked.

Paulina, meanwhile, was gazing at the pictures on the walls. The colors were still bright and the images were clear, as if they'd been painted yesterday instead of centuries ago. The paintings depicted scenes from Incan daily life.

"Look at all the quipu!" exclaimed Violet, who had found a chest filled to the brim with knotted ropes, placed there with great care.

Violet, Paulina and Seba only needed to glance at it to know.

"This is the real treasure!" declared Violet.

"A priceless treasure!" agreed Paulina.

Seba nodded in agreement.

The other mouselings stared at them, not comprehending.

"The Incas preserved the history of their entire civilization," explained Seba. "All their knowledge is here!"

"They saved the expertise of their builders, who were able to life stone walls to the top of the Andes!" added Violet, pointing to a picture of workers building a temple.

"They saved the knowledge of their astronomers, who studied the stars without telescopes!" continued Paulina, gazing at the ceiling.

"They even saved their beauty secrets!" interjected Colette. "There are wonderful perfumes in these bottles! Even more fragrant than Mousy Sighs!"

Paulina was awestruck. "Isn't it amazing? Instead of hiding gold and silver, the Incas preserved all their knowledge in the Secret City!"

"Professor Sagefur was right! Knowledge is truly the greatest treasure!" said Pamela.

Nicky nodded.

Seba whistled in awe as he looked around. "It just goes to show that the Incas really were extraordinary."

* * *

Getting out of the labyrinth was much easier and quicker than getting in. The rainstorm of clay balls had ended and as it turned out, the gate that had closed behind them was made of rotting wood.

When Seba and the Thea Sisters scampered through the Door of the Sun, they found Professor Sagefur and Gonzalo waiting for them. The two archaeologists could hardly contain their excitement when they heard about the room the mouselings and human had discovered.

The great news of the found treasure was slightly marred by Manadunca's escape.

"I was so angry when I realized he was gone! I never should have let him come with us," Gonzalo admitted regretfully. "We'll never be able to find him again."

"I think I know a way we could catch him!" said Pamela, tossing her tail over her shoulder. She'd noticed a strange pile of branches near the Door of the Sun. She moved them out of the way.

"Putrid cheese puffs, it's the giant condor!" exclaimed Violet.

Hidden in the bushes was the fake condor that had caused such fear among the local mice. Once they saw it up close, it didn't look scary at all. It was just a simple motorized glider, covered in raven's feathers and with a fake condor's head.

Pamela didn't hesitate for a moment. She climbed into the pilot's seat.

Violet was alarmed. "What are you dong, Pam?" she screamed.

"Just taking her out for a little spin!" Pamela answered cheerfully.

"Haha! Hoist by his own petard! I like it!" Seba replied with a smirk as he sat in the backseat.

Pamela turned on the motor. A moment later, she and Seba were soaring through the air!

"Let's catch a slimeball!" Seba exclaimed.

Pam couldn't agree more as they flew away. Not long after, they found Manadunca on the bridge.

"Play that tune!" the human commanded gleefully.

Pam pressed the button and the screech had caught Manadunca off-guard. He was so frightened that he began thrashing around the bridge. Not long after, he had fallen over. Pamela steered the glider into a nosedive under the bridge just as Manadunca started to fall.

 **THUMP!**

He landed right on top of the glider.

* * *

Seba, the Thea Sisters and the two Sagefurs turned Paco Mandunca and his three henchmice over to the Cuzco Police. Professor Sagefur and his son, Gonzalo, told the world the extraordinary news.

 _ **FOUND: THE SECRET CITY oF tHE INCAS!**_

The news made the front page on newspapers and websites around the world.

When the mouselings, Seba, Professor Sagefur and Gonzalo returned to Machu Picchu, they found Maria waiting for them. Maria and Paulina threw their paws around each other.

Maria was beside herself with happiness.

"I've been tracking you the whole time!" she cried. "And you never made a false move. Paulina, you're sharper than a block of New York cheddar!"

Paulina laughed and hugged her sister.

After she'd greeted Paulina, Maria wanted to kiss everyone. When she kissed Seba on the cheek, she was blushing up a storm. They chuckled at her flustered look. It looks like someone's got a crush on him!

When she got to Violet, she took a small pumpkin from her bag and said, "Frilly is doing well, but I think he misses you."

Violet took the pumpkin gratefully. "Thank you, Maria. I knew I could count on you!" Then she turned to her friends. "I think Maria deserves to be a Thea Sister, don't you?"

"Yes!"

"Alright!"

"Of course!"

"Hooray!"

The mouselings cheered while Seba applauded.

Maria was so happy! "Thank you! Thank you so much! I promise I won't let you down!"

Paulina put a paw around her little sister. "We know you won't, sis. You've earned this."

When they reached Cuzco, Seba and the Thea Sisters were received like heroes. A huge celebration was thrown in their honor. The Green Mice came, and so did half of Cuzco. In fact, Maria was the one to send out the cheeseVite!


	8. Maria's Initiation

**Maria's Initiation:**

"Come on, Maria. We're almost there." Paulina encouraged as she led her little sister somewhere.

"What's the surprise? You've gotta tell me!" said Maria, who was excited and blindfolded.

"You just have to get there first." answered Paulina.

After a few seconds of walking, Paulina stopped Maria.

"We're here." she said as she took off her sister's blindfold.

They were in Maria's bedroom, but there were also other mice in there. Nicky, Pamela, Violet and Colette were there. Seba was sitting on the end of her bed.

"Maria, you have proven yourself as a worthy mouse!" declared Seba in an over-the-top booming dramatic voice. "For these past few days, you have proven yourself to be selfless, loyal and courageous!"

"Seriously, what is the point of this?" Violet whispered to Paulina. "She's a Thea Sister already. Is this really necessary?"

Paulina smiled. "Just let him have his fun. Besides, Maria's into it."

Indeed she was, as the young one had a look of awe.

"In order to complete the initiation, you must take the oath of friendship!"

She gasped. "What is the oath of friendship?"

Seba took out a book, which was actually his sketchpad. "Place your paw on this book."

Without hesitation, she placed her paw on the top of his sketchpad. The Thea Sisters actually giggled at her eagerness.

The human placed his hand on her paw. "Now we shall commence the oath."

He looked into Maria's eyes. "Will you swear to keep this bond of friendship sacred?"

The little mouseling nodded. "I will."

"Will you share the secrets within your sisterhood?"

There was slight hesitation, but she nodded. "I will."

"And will you swear that you will watch our backs as we will do for you?"

No hesitation was needed. "I will."

Seba gave a sagely nod. "By the order of the Thea Sisters, I will officially declare you a Thea Sister!"

Maria was extremely elated.

"You may now rise, young one. For you have earned it."

As she stood up, the rest of the Thea Sisters congratulated and celebrated with her. Paulina went up to Seba.

"Will this really be a thing?" she asked him.

He smiled as he dropped his dramatic voice. "Well, being this over-the-top is fun. So, if you want to."

Paulina giggled. "We'll see. So what next?"

He looked at everyone else. "How about some ice-cream?"

There were no qualms against that offer.


	9. Mystery in Paris

**Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Mystery in Paris:**

Spring had arrived at Mouseford Academy. The air was warm and fragrant, blowing the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass into the classrooms. Spring fever had broken out across campus. The students had a two-week vacation and the air was abuzz with excitement.

Seba and the Thea Sisters (Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina and Violet) had their bags packed and plane tickets ready. For once, they weren't leaving to solve a mystery somewhere in the world. They were going on a nice, long vacation to Paris.

Colette was their host. She was famous for overpacking, but this time she was the only one without luggage. She carried a heart-shaped purse and nothing else. Why?

Because the mouselings and human were headed straight for her house and she was looking forwards to visiting her overflowing closests. And Colette was determined to head out on a shopping marathon once they arrived in Paris!

Seba had a feeling that this might be a headache-inducing trip.

The stairway of the academy's dorm was filled with happy chattering. The students were chatting about their vacation plans.

Even Octavius de Mousus, the headmaster, was beaming. He said goodbye to his students with a broad smile. "Enjoy your vacation!"

* * *

The Whale Island port was crowded. Everyone was boarding the ferry bound for Mouse Island, including Seba and the Thea Sisters.

As the ferry was sailing off, Mercury Whale and his brothers broke into a verse of Whale Island's traditional farewell, "Hymn for a Happy Return."

As Whale Island gradually became smaller on the horizon, the five mouselings and one human felt their excitement grow and grow.

Pamela, Nicky and Paulina had never been to Paris and were longing to see it.

Seba had always drew pictures of Paris's landmarks through the memory of photographs, yet he had never been there before. This was his chance.

Violet had been there as a little mouseling with her parents and it had stayed in her heart. Going back with her closest friends was a dream come true.

As for Colette, Paris was her city! She couldn't wait to play tour guide for her friends.

When they reached Mouse Island, the six friends made their way to the airport. After check-in, they got a snack at the cafe and waited cheerfully for their flight to be called. It was so nice not to be rushing around like their previous trips! For once, there was no anxiety or worrying. For the first time ever, Seba and the Thea Sisters were enjoying a totally relaxing trip together!

That is, an almost totally relaxing trip. As soon as the plane took off, it hit a fierce storm and the plane began to bounce up and down.

"Argh!" Seba yelled frustratingly. "It's like gambling with nature!"

"I feel like I'm riding on the back of a kangaroo," cried Nicky, who was from Australia.

Pam nodded in agreement. "But not in a good way!"

"It is okay, just stay calm. Find a happy place, find a happy place..." Colette repeated to herself. She had turned as pale as a slice of mozzarella.

"Are you okay, Colette?" asked Violet.

"No, I am not okay! Nothing is okay!" Colette burst out, startling the almost-asleep Seba. She was on a verge of tears. "I do not have an umbrella, all my clothes will get wet, my hair will frizz from the humidity and Paris will seem so ugly in the rain!"

Violet smiled and hugged her friend. "After some shampoo, your hair will be gorgeous. And after the rain, Paris will be more beautiful than ever!"

As it turned out, Violet was a hundred percent correct in her predictions!

Just as the plan began to descend, the clouds broke and the sun shone like a spotlight on the city. The rows of buildings seemed to sparkle from the rain and a beautiful rainbow framed the whole scene.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Pamela. Her eyes were glued to the city that stretched out before them.

"Now that's what I call a welcome sign!" cried Paulina, pointing to the rainbow.

"It's fabumouse!" cried Nicky.

"Ain't that a piece of art." muttered Seba.

Colette smiled happily. "You see? Paris is just like me. It loves making a dramatic entrance!"

* * *

Colette guided her friends from Paris-Orly Airport to the center of the city. First they boarded a bus, which took theme to the subway station of Denfert-Rochereau. Then they went down to the Metro, that is subway, and crossed the entire downtown area of Paris, arriving at Place des Abbesses.

As they climbed the stairs of the metro and peeked out into the luminous open square, the mouselings and human were a little disoriented. But Colette didn't give them a minute to get their bearings.

"Backpacks on, mouselings and human! Let us go! Move those tails!" she instructed her friends with a smile.

Colette's parents didn't live in Paris. In fact, Colette had grown up in the town of Arles in Provence. But when Colette was in high school, she and her older cousin Julie moved to Paris together while Colette's parents were traveling. Julie and Colette shared a small apartment. That was where Seba and the Thea Sisters would be "living it up" (Colette's words! Much to Seba's annoyance.) during their vacation.

They scampered up a very narrow, very steep road. Then they climbed up a stairway and then another.

"Where are you taking us? To the top of the Himalayas?" Pamela asked, panting.

"More like Kinabalu!" Seba exclaimed, wheezing as he could feel his legs shaking.

"We are at the Butte Montmartre," explained Colette. "In French, butte means 'hill'. It is the highest point in all of Paris!"

The mouselings and human spotted the white dome of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica high above them.

At last, they arrived at Colette's building. It was tall and narrow, with an old-fashioned feel to it. On the top floor, there was a balcony filled with multicolored roses.

"Colette!" shouted a clear squeak above their heads. It was Julie. She was waving her paws so they would see her. Her blonde bobbed hair peeped between the roses.

Inside the building, another steep staircase awaited the guests. Colette's apartment was on the top floor.

* * *

Colette opened the door to the apartment and ushered her friends in.

Julie ran to greet them. "Welcome!" She squeezed Colette tightly in her arms and rushed to grab Paulina's bag. "Did you have a good trip? You must be exhausted, poor things! And hungry too! The cheese on those airplanes is always moldy. You must be starving!"

Julie spoke very quickly. She was a small mouse, but she seemed to have boundless energy. She kissed each guest on the cheek, then led them into the living room.

Pamela, Violet, Nicky, Paulina and Seba were too exhausted to be polite. They collapsed onto two comfy couches and one recliner, sighing with relief.

Julie and Colette disappeared into the kitchen and came back a few moments later with a tray of cold drinks and cheese crackers.

"Snacks? Juice?" Julie offered. "Do not be shy. Have something to eat, then you can rest. Please make yourselves at home. Colette and I will prepare lunch!"

The apartment was very comfortable and full of light. There wasn't much furniture, it what made it up were a lot of pictures and a wonderful arrangement of roses at the center of the table.

"This place is lovely!" said Pam.

"And probably homely than what I usually see." added Seba.

"I would never have imagined that a modern apartment like this would be inside such an old building," commented Paulina.

"My grandmother always said that appearances can be deceiving," said Violet, "and this is proof that old proverbs are always right!"

Colette peeked out of the kitchen. "Do you think you can make it up another flight of stairs?" she asked teasingly.

With that, she pushed a button on the wall. A panel on the ceiling, which no one had noticed before, slid open silently. A wooden stairway unfolded down toward them.

"You have an attic?" Seba wondered.

"Wow!" exclaimed Nicky in admiration. "What other tricks do you have in this place?"

"No more tricks!" answered Colette, inviting them to climb up. "My room is up here. The folding staircase makes the rooms much more spacious!"

"What a wonderful discovery!" said Paulina as she walked up the stairs. She was very curious.

 _'I bet the room is painted in pink!'_ she thought.

When she emerged at the top, Paulina was speechless. Nicky, Pam, Violet and Seba, who had followed her, were too.

"Well? Do you have anything to say?" asked Colette.

"We..." Pamela began before she sighed. "...are breathless."

"And not just because of the stairs!" Nicky said, laughing.

"I've got nothing to say." Seba muttered.

Colette's room was enchanting! It had once been an attic,with a sloping ceiling and exposed ceiling beams. The wallpaper was pale pink with fuchsia stripes. The canopy bed had light curtains that were a little brighter than the walls. The blanket that covered the bed was dark blue with tiny pink designs.

But the really extraordinary thing was the view from the window: a sea of rooftops and chimneys as far as the eye could see, and above them all was the dome of Sacre-Coeur!

From above, Paris was even more magical.

* * *

Right after lunch, Julie had to leave her new friends and head off to Ratizon's Fashion Academy. She was studying there to become a fashion designer! Unlike Colette and her friends, Julie wasn't on vacation. At her school, it was tradition for mice who were about to graduate to present their clothing collections at the end of the school year. That year, the final fashion show would be held under the Eiffel Tower!

In those last few days before the show, all the students were frantically putting the finishing touches on their collections. The fashion show would be viewed by some of the most famous designers in the world!

In the meantime, Seba and the Thea Sisters had a full afternoon planned.

"I can't wait to see Paris!" exclaimed Paulina. She reached out and squeezed Colette's paw. "And it's going to be just fabumouse to have you as our tour guide!"

Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, Violet and Seba headed towards the city center on the Metro. "The River Seine runs through the middle of Paris," Colette explained. "The two sides of the city are called the Right Bank and the Left Bank. Let us start off on the Left Bank!"

"Why?" asked Violet.

Colette laughed. "Why? That's easy. The Left Bank has all the most fabumouse, up-to date fashions!"

Seba's pupils had shrunk. "Oh, god."

Colette had a wicked glint in her eye. Before Seba could run off, she grabbed him by the foot.

"Lemme go! I'm not your servant!" Seba exclaimed, trying to claw his way out on the floor.

"Come on, mouselings! Let us go shopping!" Colette cheerfully exclaimed, ignoring Seba's cries of help as she dragged him by foot.

The Thea Sisters could only sweatdrop at the scene.

Everything was gorgeous. And though Violet would have preferred to be at a museum, she had a lot of fun trying on the latest styles.

"You're right, Colette," Paulina sighed. "Paris really is the fashion capital of the world!"

"Well..." Seba crossed his arms as he turned away. "The clothes here are pretty cool." he begrudgingly admitted.

After a few hours, Nicky looked at her watch. "Uh-oh, mouselings, look at the time! We promised Julie we'd meet her at the academy!"

"You are right!" said Colette, jumping up in alarm. She looked around anxiously. Then she spotted a bus stop. "Come on! We will be there faster than you can say 'toasted Brie on baguettes!'"

* * *

Finding the academy was easy. But once they got inside, finding Julie became very complicated.

The mouselings and human were immediately caught up in the comings and goings of all the stressed-out students. Everyone knew Julie, but no one knew where she was.

Violet saw two Asian mouselings who were identical twins. They had strangely cut hair: short on one side and long on the other, half orange and and half blue. She asked them if they knew where Julie was.

"Julie?" one of them asked. "She went to see the director!"

"Yeah, she is always complaining about somethiiiing..." the other twin trailed off in a direction.

"Mei, what is it?" her twin asked as she also looked in her direction...

...only to stare as well.

There was someone who was not a mouse, but some strange creature. He wore what looked like a punk goth ensemble with black and white clothing. Whoever or whatever it was, they needed to talk to them.

From a distance, Seba had a really strange feeling that he was being watched. That feeling was washed away when he noticed someone.

"Isn't that Julie?" he asked, pointing at a direction.

"Julie!" called Colette, noticing her cousin emerge from an elevator.

Julie was talking to a professor. She had a tense look on her snout. The teacher had a paw on her shoulder and was speaking to her very gently.

"You are one of the best students in the academy, Julie. It is only natural that some of the students are jealous of you. You are talented! But this is the fashion world: It is cut or be cut." The professor smiled and left.

"What happened, Julie?" asked Colette. "Who was that rodent?"

"That was Professor Hugo Le Blanc. He teaches the history of fashion," Julie answered. "He was trying to lift my spirits."

"What's wrong?" asked Pam.

Julie rubbed her snout sadly. "Someone snuck into my studio and went through everything. And it was not the first time!" she finished, turning red.

Seba gently rubbed her back to calm her down while Colette held her cousin's paw.

"Did they steal anything?" Pam wanted to know.

"No," said Julie. "At least, I do not think anything is missing. But it is not really about stealing my belongings, it is my ideas that are valuable! Luckily, I left my laptop at home. That is where all my notes and designs are."

Seba felt uneasy. This was going to be another mystery to solve.

"Mouselings and human, the stress of this fashion show is making my head spin!" Julie said with a sigh. "I need to relax."

"Good for you, Julie!" said Colette approvingly. "How about we go shopping?"

Violet shook her head. "Oh no, a cup of green tea would be better, with some jasmine. That's what Julie needs."

"What are you crazy rodents squeaking about?" Pamela burst out. "Shopping? Tea? Uh-uh. It's time to eat! You need some pizza in your stomach, Julie! Some delicious melted Parmesan is just what you need to perk you up."

Seba looked at her. "We're in France, not Italy."

Julie giggled and smiled. "Still, you're right, Pam! I'm hungry. Dinner is just what we needed!"

* * *

So, together, the six mouselings and one human left the Fashion Academy. Outside, the sunset colored the rooftops pink. Paris was even more spectacular at twilight.

They arrived in front of a restaurant that was covered in flowers. There were flowers everywhere!

Pamela thought that Julie was playing a joke on them. "You're not going to make us eat flowers, are you Julie?" she asked, laughing. Seba noticed that there was a tinge of nervousness in that laugh.

"Mais oui! Of course!" Julie answered. "Cooking with flowers is in style in Paris!"

Pamela was speechless. Was Julie kidding?

Pam, Nicky, Paulina, Violet and Seba gathered around the menu posted on the door.

Pamela read the menu carefully, but she still couldn't believe it.

"I bet there's some sort of play on words here that I don't understand," she whispered to Nicky. "There's no way they can make rice with roses!"

Nicky shrugged. "I've eaten stranger things at home in Australia, so I'm game."

Seba moved in between them. "Besides, what's not to like a little vegetarian?"

Inside, the little group found a table. After a few minutes, the waiter brought them a plate covered in red petals. Pamela was seriously tempted to scamper out and go find a good old-fashioned pizza.

"The Brie must've slipped off the chef's baguette." she murmured.

But her friends seemed to be enjoying the food and she didn't want Julie to think she was rude. So she closed her eyes and took a tiny bite of rice with a petal on top.

"It's delicious!" yelled Pam in surprise. "Who knew flowers could be so tasty?"

* * *

The evening was warm and the air smelled sweet. Julie was feeling much better after a good dinner and pep talk from her friends. It was enchanting to take a nice stroll along the Seine. The water from the river reflected the lights of the city, looking like a silk ribbon studded with paillettes.

"Look! It's the Eiffel Tower!" cried Nicky. She was thrilled to see it up close. The famous tower was lit up for the evening and it seemed to sparkle against the night sky.

Julie nodded. "That is where our fashion show is going to be held."

"Fabumouse!" exclaimed Colette.

"Ratastic!" Nicky echoed.

"And you will present your designs?" Paulina wanted to know.

"Not just me," explained Julie. "All the students who will graduate this year from the academy will show their collections. It is part of our final exam."

"How thrilling!" exclaimed Violet.

"What's your collection?" Seba inquired.

"I am calling my collection 'Treasure Hunt'," said Julie. "Each collection is supposed to have a theme. I was inspired by an old map that I stumbled on."

"And that's why you called the whole collection Treasure Hunt!" Pamela said. "What a stylish idea! I would definitely buy a jacket with that name on it."

Julie smiled. Then she took a package out of her backpack and gave it to Colette. "I wish I had a gift for all of you, but I ran out of time! This is a present for Colette. I designed it with her in mind."

"For me?" exclaimed Colette, looking surprised and pleased. She began opening the package and pulled out a soft pink silk shawl.

"It's just gorgeous!" she said admiringly, pulling it across her shoulders.

"Hey, it's really a map!" exclaimed Pamela, observing the design on the fabric.

"What does it mean?" asked Violet curiously.

"I do not know," answered Julie. "I found this old map in a book, and I just loved it. So I thought I would use it to design my fabrics for the end of the year fashion show!"

"What a great idea, " said Paulina. "It's tres chic!"

"Try not to use the same piece of land," Seba joked. "It can get repetitive."

* * *

The next morning, Julie left early for the Fashion Academy. Seba and the Thea Sisters sat down to a breakfast of cheese croissants and discussed their plans for the day.

"There are so many incredible mouseums we need to visit!" Violet cried. "The Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay..."

Nicky shook her head. "Uh-uh. Oh, no. We spent all day yesterday inside. I need some fresh air! Let's go to a park."

Colette looked stunned. "What do you mean? We still have all the boutiques on the Right Bank to visit!"

She turned to Pam and Paulina.

"No way," said Pam. "My paws are destroyed after all that scampering around we did yesterday."

Paulina nodded. "And I've already spent all the money I put aside for shopping."

Everyone turned to Seba, who was looking outside the window.

"I wonder how much a moped costs." Seba muttered.

"The mopeds are very expensive, Seba." Colette said.

"Even when you rent?" he asked in disbelief.

Before the bickering could continue, the phone rang.

Colette scurried to answer it. "Allo? Oh, hi Julie..."

 **"WHAT?!"**

Colette started speaking in French so rapidly that the others were able to understand only one word: vole.

"Vole means 'stolen', right?" Paulina asked.

Violet nodded while Seba stood up.

Finally, Colette hung up. "Someone stole Julie's collection! Last night, someone broke into the academy and took all of her clothes for the fashion show!"

"All of them?" Pamela, Nicky and Paulina asked in unison.

"And only hers? What about the other students' work?" asked Violet in shock.

"All of them. And only Julie's clothes!" confirmed Colette. "Here is the interesting part: whoever it was did not have to break open the door or windows to get in!"

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. They turned to see Seba, who was completely changed into his casual clothes.

"It looks like the plans have changed. We've gotta find Julie." With that, the human sprinted out of the apartment.

"Wait for us!" Nicky yelled out.

* * *

Seba had already left the apartment in a quick time. Colette led the way for the Thea Sisters. When they reached the academy, they met with all the hustle and bustle they had encountered the previous day. Violet spotted the twins and asked them to take the Thea Sisters to Julie's studio right away.

Julie was hugging Seba crying in his chest as he comforted her. Unbeknownst to her, there was fury in his eyes despite that calm visage. Her studio was crowded with fabric, sketches of her designs, books on fashion and spools of thread and ribbon. But all the hangers on which her collection had hung were empty.

"Where are the police?" Colette demanded.

Julia let go of Seba as she wiped a tear from her snout. "The officers asked a few questions, then they left. They were only here for a few minutes."

"That's it?" Pamela was dumbfounded.

"They promised they would look into it," Julie explained. "It's just some clothes made by a student, not exactly a priceless treasure. The police do not care that much about something so unimportant!"

"What?" Colette blurted out. "So they left without questioning witnesses? Without taking pawprints? They did not check everyone's alibi?"

Julie smiled sadly. "Everyone's? Do you know how many rodents there are in the academy? More than two hundred! Plus, the police think the case is already solved. They say that it is just a ratfight. 'Jealousy among students,' they told me."

"The police here are too damn lazy to do anything." Seba growled as he clenched his fist. He could understand Interpol and GIGN's priorities, but the local police? A shame.

"I have an idea!" Violet interrupted. "I saw a tearoom right next door. Let's go there and plan our next move."

Julie was puzzled. "Our next move? I do not understand."

"If the police can't do anything, we'll have to take matters into our own paws!" Paulina explained.

"Leave it to us! We'll get your collection back!" Pamela declared.

"And if we don't do it in time for the fashion show..." Nicky began.

"Then we aren't the Thea Sisters!" all five mouselings said together.

Seba gave a determined nod as he slammed a fist into his palm. He would punish those who would take someone's dream away.

* * *

The sweet smell of jasmine tea helped calm poor Julie's nerves.

"Let us start with the most obvious clue," Colette began. "The thief did not have to force the door or the windows open to get in."

"So he or she must have had a copy of the keys. And he must have known the code to deactivate the academy's alarm system." Pamela continued.

Julie nodded. "That is what the police said, too. They said that it had to be someone inside the academy."

"Of course!" agreed Violet. "Everyone's a suspect. We shouldn't count anyone out."

"The other students have a motive: jealousy. But what about the teachers and the rest of the staff?" asked Nicky.

"Many things. Bribery, time. Anything to do with the show. But we're not sure." Seba guessed.

"It is so frustrating!" Colette said. "We do not know if the other rodents had motives or not because they were not questioned!"

"But you have a plan to question them, right?" asked Violet with a sly grin.

Colette winked. "Leave everything in my paws, Julie!"

She turned to Seba, who noticed the similar gleam in her eyes.

"Not again..." he muttered.

* * *

Colette, Nicky and Pamela had disguised themselves to infiltrate the academy. Colette as a journalist to ask the students questions with Nicky and Pamela as cleaners to gain access without any suspicions.

Violet, Paulina and Seba had offered to distract Julie during the investigation to lift her spirits up. They had asked her to be their guide along the streets of Paris. They tried to steer her far away from clothing stores and anyplace else that might remind Julie of her missing collection.

But when they passed a book stand along the Seine, Julie's eyes filled with tears.

"What's the matter, Julie?" asked Paulina, alarmed.

"I am sorry!" said Julie. "I am being silly, I know. It is just that this place reminds me of my collection."

Seba went to rub her back to calm her down. "There, there. I had a collection of VHS tapes once. Every time I walk into the cinema, I'm always reminded of my favorite old movies."

Julie had cheered up a bit, a small smile on her face.

"But why does this place remind you of your collection?" asked Violet, looking puzzled.

"This is where I found the map," Julie explained. "The one that gave me the idea for my treasure hunt collection. You see, I came here one morning looking for inspiration. These old books are really fascinating to me. I said to myself, 'Who knows! Maybe I will find something that will inspire an original idea!"

"And you did!" said Paulina.

Julie nodded. "Yes, I did, almost right away. I came across a book about theatrical costumes. I do not even know what drew me to it, but when I started leafing through it, I became fascinated. The costumes were so gorgeous!"

"And inside you found the map?" asked Violet.

"Yes! It was a real stroke of luck! But I did not realize it right off. In fact, once I bought the book, I went back home to look through it. I sat down immediately and started turning the pages. Only at that point did I notice a page had fallen out. I grabbed it and saw that it had a strange design on top. It did not take me long to realize that I was looking at a map!"

"It's amazing how you an find inspiration in even the most everyday things," Paulina said.

Julie nodded in agreement.

"I once found inspiration in Paris once and made it even more gothic and melancholic for my comic book." Seba said as he looked out to the environment.

"What comic is that?" Julie asked.

"Black Wings."

Julie's jaw dropped. "You are Sebastian Silverstone?! Mon dieu, that is unbelievable!"

Violet and Paulina smiled as Julie's outburst had seemed to lift her spirits up.

"You know my work?" Seba asked, looking bewildered at this new information.

"Know it? Mice have been requesting international translations from around the world!" Julie exclaimed. "You have to tell me what happens to Camila when she was held at gunpoint by her lover! They were such a good couple!"

Seba shook his finger with a smile. "Ah ah. Spoilers. Besides, I'm still trying to fill out the plotholes with each character now."

Violet took her by the paw. "Come on, mouselings and Seba. Let's move those paws! There's still loads I want to see."

Julie smiled and wiped her snout. "Yes, let us shake a tail!"

* * *

Everyone had agreed to meet for lunch in the enormous Bois de Boulogne (Boulogne Woods) park. They wanted to compare notes about what they had learned from their investigations. Seba had to give credit to the fashion students. They're actually expanding their creativity.

The afternoon was so hot that it already felt like summer. So they decided to have a picnic next to the lake. They packed, cheese, bread, fruit and omelettes for the human. It was a feast!

Julie, Violet, Paulina and Seba were eager about hearing what their friends had discovered.

Unfortunately, the news wasn't good: No one had turned up anything interesting.

"It could have been any one of your classmates," said Colette. "Everyone seemed jealous of someone and no one has an alibi worth its cheddar!"

"And the other students' collections are still in one piece," Nicky added.

"When there are too many suspects, it's like not having any." sighed Paulina, shaking her head.

"You might as well be counting grains of rice while you're at it!" Seba remarked as he took a bite of an omelette.

"So basically, we haven't gotten anywhere." concluded Pam sadly.

Strangely, Julie seemed less disappointed than her friends were. "It is too nice a day to talk about such depressing things," she declared. "Let us enjoy our picnic! After we have eaten, we can brainstorm a new plan."

So Pamela rented a rowboat and dragged Violet and Paulina on a trip around the lake. Nicky made friends with a group of rodents who were horseback riding around the park, joining them in the activity.

As for Julie, Colette and Seba, they stretched out on the grass and chatted in the sun. The old friends reminisced about being little mouselings in school together and a thousand other funny adventures they'd been though. At one point, Julie decided to tickle Seba's nose with a tiny flower while it looked like he was taking a nap. The human mock pouted at such a prank, which made the two mouselings giggle. The human hid a small smile, seeing Julie brightened up.

However, Seba felt like someone was watching them, but eventually shrugged it off as he wanted to relax.

* * *

After their afternoon in the park, the mouselings and human stopped at a pizzeria (which was Pam's suggestion) for some dinner. By the time they got home, it was already dark.

There was an ugly surprise waiting for them.

As soon as they opened the door, they noticed the window was open and the glass was shattered. Julie's laptop was missing!

Before they could react...

 **CRASH!**

The noise made them jump.

"The thief!" screamed Colette, running to the window. When she looked out at the street, she was a shadowy figure dashing up the stairs.

"My computer!" shouted Julie. Her laptop lay in fragments on the street below.

"He must have let it slip from his paws while he was getting away!" exclaimed Paulina.

Seba was the first to react as he leaped off the balcony and landed on the ground safely from the small apartment's two story drop. Everyone ran out to the street to recover what was left of the computer.

"Moldy mozzarella!" blurted Pamela. "Wasn't it enough for that slimy sewer rat to steal your clothes? Why did he have to steal your laptop too?"

Julie couldn't answer as she felt as broken as her laptop.

Seba looked at her in sorrow. What was once an elated mouseling from the afternoon had turned into a depressed mess in the evening. He could feel anger rising inside him. Anger that the rat ruining someone's hardwork.

"Forget the police. When we find this piece of trash, he's going to need the paramedics!" Seba growled as he cracked his knuckles.

"It is fine, Seba." Julie assured him as she placed a paw on his shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to any violence. The human wasn't convinced.

As they headed back into the house, Violet began, "At least we have a new clue. The thief stole Julie's collection, but he wasn't really looking for the clothes. He was looking for something else that's linked to them! But what?"

"Yes, what could it be?" Colette echoed thoughtfully.

Violet was lost in thought for a minute. Then her eyes lit up.

"Why didn't I realize it sooner?!" she exclaimed, smiling. "The map!"

"The map?" the mouselings and human repeated together.

"Violet is right!" cried Julie. "The thief must be after the map!"

Seba looked at her.

"I have got it!" continued Julie, who began to connect all the pieces. "First the thief broke into my studio to look for the map. He did not find it and instead steal my collection in order to put the map together by putting the clothing together."

"So why did the thief want to steal your computer, too?" asked Pamela.

"When he couldn't find the real map, he probably hoped to find an electronic scan on your computer!" Violet said. "When he tried to reconstruct the map with Julie's clothing, it wasn't complete! The last piece was missing."

A map? Seba looked at Colette, then back at Julie. "Can someone bring Colette's shawl here? I think I know what he was looking for." he requested.

Julie nodded as she retrieved the shawl. "Of course! This was what he was looking for! Without the last piece, the collection was useless. The thief is missing the last piece of the map!"

"So he hoped Julie had saved a copy on her computer." Paulina concluded.

"That must be it," Julie said, nodding again. "Unfortunately, now my computer is in a thousand pieces."

"Isn't there a backup?" Paulina asked in disbelief.

Julie shrugged. "Nope, sorry. No copies."

"And the original map?" asked Violet, holding on to the last shred of hope.

"It's gone forever. I spilled a cup of hot cheese on it when I was up late working on my collection, and it was completely destroyed."

Seba groaned before he looked at Pamela. "Pam, do you think you can fix up her computer?"

She shook her head. "With the amount of bits and pieces scattered from such a smashed state, I won't be able to finish repairing it before the Paris show."

The human kicked the dust of the floor. "Well, isn't that convenient!" he said in annoyance.

Colette spread the shawl on the table as everyone gathered around.

"What does it represent?" asked Nicky.

"I do not have any idea." Julie replied.

"Look at all these scattered letters!" Colette said, pointing each one out. "If we put them in the right order, perhaps they will spell something!"

Seba had written down all the possible words. With each guess, they crossed out the ones that didn't make sense.

All of the sudden, Julie jumped to her feet. "Hold on, Seba. Do not cross out 'garnier' yet!"

Seba stopped and looked at her, bemused. "Garnier? What's that mean?"

Julie explained to them. "The Palais Garnier is the Paris Opera. It must be a map of the opera house!"

She ran to get the book in which she had found the map. The title was Opera: Two Centuries of Costumes.

Julie opened the book. It was an old volume, with precious reproductions of stage clothing from the 1800s.

"It is a collection of costumes from the most famouse opera productions!" Julie said.

Seba went over to see some of the illustrations. "This is really good costume design."

Paulina was sitting on the couch with her MousePhone. Her eyes had changed slightly before she got up.

"Julie, do you you think I could use your printer?" she asked.

"Sure." Julie answered, but looked curious.

"What have you found?" asked Pamela.

"You'll see!" Paulina answered cryptically as she plugged her phone into the printer. A moment later, a sheet of paper came out. She took it and laid it out on the table.

"This is the floor plan of the opera house," she explained. "If the map is really a reproduction of this building, we should be able to find the part on the floor plan that corresponds to Colette's shawl!"

Everyone gazed back and forth between the floor plan and the shawl for a few minutes. There was something identical to both items.

Finally, Violet pointed her finger. "I've got it! This is the grand staircase. This is definitely it! Check it out."

Everyone peered back and forth between the two maps, Colette's shawl and the printout of the opera house's floor plan. Of course! Colette's shawl was a copy of the grand staircase of the opera house!

"But what does it mean?" asked Nicky, looking puzzled. "Why would the thief be so desperate to learn about the opera house? Couldn't he just download the floor plan, like Paulina did?"

"Of course he could." said Colette, nodding.

"Like you said, he was desperate," Seba continued. "He probably didn't have time to think about that. Something tells me that he's rushing."

"There must be something special about this staircase," Violet said thoughtfully. "Maybe something's hidden there."

"That is it!" cried Colette. "It is like the name of your collection, Julie! It must be a treasure of some kind!"

Pamela's eyes grew wide. "I think you're onto something, Colette. And if this map is so important to the thief, the treasure must be really big!"

"You might be right," said Nicky, nodding. "But one thing's for sure: The thief won't be able to find it until he has the entire map."

"So what happens if the thief finds out that Colette's shawl is the last piece of the puzzle?" Violet asked slowly.

Colette stared at Violet. She knew what her friend was thinking. "Oh no. Uh-uh! Do not even think about it!" she shouted, clutching her shawl. "I do not know what your plan is, Vi, but you cannot touch this!"

Seba walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Colette, Julie's collection has been stolen. I can't let a thief get away with ruining someone's hard work. We all want to catch the jerk before he tries to mess with her even further. I mean, look at what happened to her laptop."

She glared at Seba, but as she did, she caught a glimpse of Julie's sad face and began to soften. "Wh-what if the thief stole my shawl? I do not even want to think about it!"

"We'll get them with a tracker!" Paulina declared. "It's a good plan, Vi."

"We have a tracker?" Pam asked. Paulina nodded.

Colette was starting to look interested in the plan. "So? Then what?"

"So if we put a tracker on the shawl and make sure the thief steals it, we would be able to find out where he is and follow the signal on my MousePhone!" Paulina said.

"Then we can follow him and find out what he's done with Julie's collection," Violet concluded.

"If he's there, I can give him a free knuckle sandwich." Seba declared, slamming his fist into his palm.

"And the thief would not know?" asked Colette.

"If the track is really, really small, I can sew it into the hem of the shawl!" interjected Julie.

"Definitely!" Paulina agreed. Then she looked at Colette. "Is that alright with you, Colette? Are you willing to sacrifice your shawl to catch the thief?"

Colette looked at Julie and smiled. "Of coursse! For Julie, I would do this and more. There are only a few days until the fashion show, and we absolutely must find Julie's collection!"

Seba grinned. "Operation Tracker is a go!"

* * *

Their plan was set! Colette was parading inside the academy with her shawl on. Julie, Seba and the rest of the Thea Sisters were waiting in front of the academy with their snouts and faces pressed against the window.

"Who knew that she could make a convincing scene there?" Nicky commented.

"My sentiments exactly. She managed to stall me real good when you guys took my cigarette packs." Seba replied.

Julie giggled. "She was in the drama club in middle school."

When they saw Colette strut out, they looked at one another in wonder.

A small crowd peered out the door of the fashion school. They followed Colette with their eyes as she strode away.

"Give me five, Jules!" exclaimed Pam enthusiastically, slapping her paw against Julie's. "Next stop, Hollywood! Out Colette is a born actress!"

"Now for phase two." Seba said.

Violet nodded calmly. "The trap is set. We've got to keep our eyes on Colette. Let's see if the thief takes the bait."

* * *

At this point, Colette had to improvise.

The mouselings and Seba had no way of knowing if, when, or where the thief would strike. It was up to her to make sure the thief had the right opportunity to steal the shawl. The tricky part was that the thief could absolutely not realize that it was a trap!

A chill went down Colette's tail. Where should she go? She decided to follow her instincts. And her instincts told her to head toward the closest department store. A large crowd would be there: It seemed like an ideal place to steal. Or rather, let things be stolen!

Pam couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Colette go into one of Paris's biggest department stores. "What is she doing? She's going into department store? It's so crowded, we'll lose er for sure!"

"No, not if we keep our eyes open," replied Violet.

"The thief is bound to blend in with the crowd. Look out for any shady characters." Seba said.

Meanwhile, Colette had gone up the escalator. With all the shoppers milling around, it was impossible to tell if anyone was following her.

Julie, Nicky, Pam, Paulina, Violet and Seba started after her.

"She's going to the junior rodents department!" noted Paulina.

"How strange! I was sure Colette would head straight for the hardware department!" joked Pamela.

Seba facepalmed.

Despite her stress, Colette couldn't help look in awe at some of the season's newest arrivals. 'What a dream!' she thought when she spotted a cute top.

Then she remembered that she was there to have the shawl stolen. 'Of course!' she thought. The best thing to do was pretend to go shopping! She had found the perfect solution.

Colette was sure that her friends were nearby. So she grabbed a few tops to try on, slipped into a dressing room and hung the shawl over the door. That way, whoever was outside could take it.

She didn't need to wait long. One second the shawl was there, and the next it had vanished!

Seba and the Thea Sisters saw a rodent with a trench coat, big dark glasses and a hat run away with a bag in his paws.

He or she was completely unrecognizable.

They started following the sneaky mouse. Everyone rushed out of the department store, but the thief was faster than they thought.

"He's going towards the Seine!" Violet cried.

"The Pont Alexandre III is nearby," Julie panted. "Maybe he is headed towards the other bank!"

Seba began to go full sprint, catching up towards the thief.

The streets were so crowded it was hard to keep track of the thief. For a moment, they thought that they had lost sight of him. The chase was a real tail-twister! Fortunately, the tracker had given them help.

They scurried along and found themselves in an open square with very few houses. It seemed like the thief had vanished into thin air. He hadn't crossed the bridge, which was right in front of them. But they didn't see anyone on the street in either direction.

"The ladders!" shouted Colette, pointing to two ladders on the ends of the bridge. They led to the banks of the Seine.

Nicky peered over the river's edge. "Holey cheese! There! There he goes!"

She'd spotted the thief jumping on board a motorboat and zooming away at full speed.

"We've lost him!" groaned Paulina. "The tracker can't cover long distances."

But Colette and Seba were not ready to give up. In fact, both of them were already scampering along the riverbank.

"Look down there!" Colette pointed out. "It is a boat-rental shop! There is still hope!"

Julie and the other mouselings had never seen Colette and Seba so determined! They could understand Colette's reason since she was Julie's best friend. But why was Seba this determined?

 _'I can't let a thief get away with ruining someone's hard work.'_

Their eyes widened as they remembered those words. There must have been history with this sort of situation that he was involved with. Nevertheless, they ran faster.

Within moments, they had rented a motorboat and were hot on the thief's trail. Colette was at the prow of the boat, pointing the way.

Viole was next to Colette, shouting directions. "Careful of the barge on your right!"

Meanwhile, the thief had passed the Pont de l'Alma.

"Where do you think he, or she (it could be a female rodent) is headed?" Pamela asked Julie.

"I do not have the slightest idea!" she answered. She hadn't went through here before!

Pont de l'Alma, Passerelle Debilly, Pont d'Iéna, they passed by bridge after bridge, but still the distance between the two boats had not changed. At the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, a long and narrow island split the Seine into two canals.

Colette slowed down. She had to choose one canal. After a moment's hesitation, she chose the one on the right.

Soon an unexpected sight appeared before them.

"What is the Statue of Liberty doing here?!" cried Paulina in surprise.

"Maybe the thief is Carmen Sandiego." Seba remarked.

Violet pointed towards a direction. "Turn left! The thief is turning back!"

"He must have spotted us! He is trying to shake us!" exclaimed Colette.

She started to turn around but had to pause to let a pontoon pass.

"Au revoir, shawl!" sighed Nicky.

"Don't say that yet!" said Paulina as she got out her MousePhone. "Let's see if my tracker works. We just have to stay close."

On the tiny screen, a piece of the Seine appeared, and on it a red dot was bouncing along quickly.

"Got it!" said Paulina with satisfaction.

The red dot stopped suddenly.

"The thief has stepped off his boat." said Paulina.

"But where?" asked Colettte.

"On the Right Bank!" cried Paulina. "Head towards Concorde Square!"

Colette steered the motorboat sharply towards the Right Banks. Everyone ducked to avoid being splashed.

"I'm getting a little sick of this cat-and-mouse game." Nicky sighed, wiping off the water from her snout.

"You're lucky that you didn't bring your hat." Seba said, digging his ears to get the water out.

As soon as Colette had tied up the boat, all six mouselings and one human scurried out and started to run after the thief.

"He's on rue Royale!" yelled Paulina, not taking her eyes off the MousePhone.

"He must be trying to lose us by getting lost among the tourists!" said Nicky.

"Not on our watch!" Seba exclaimed as he began full sprint.

"He's turned right," Paulina announced. "He's on Madeleine Boulevard."

"The Opera!" Julie gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"So it is true!" Colette exclaimed. "The thief is going to the opera house! Just like the map!"

"Greasy cat guts, we were right!" said Pamela. "The treasure is hidden in the theater!"

"I'm gonna look forward to making this thief sing falsetto!" Seba growled.

The thief must have figured that his pursuers had given up by now. There was no way they would have been able to keep up for so long. So he stopped running.

Seba, Julie and the Thea Sisters arrived at the Opera House just in time to see a shadowy figure turn down an alley and slip through a side entrance of the theater, The figure slammed the door behind him.

Without pausing to form a plan, they followed him inside.

The chase continued!

* * *

The mouselings and human found themselves in a storage room filled with set designs and equipment. There were costumes, scenery, ropes, stage furniture, suits of armor and curtains all around them.

"I'm starting to wonder why I don't do backstage duty in drama." Seba remarked. He was offered to assist in writing scripts for a couple of Mouseford Academy's plays. However, he would actually skip out on watching the critically acclaimed shows due to his schedules.

In the darkness, Colette didn't realize that there was a box full of props right next to her. She accidentally stuck her paw into it and stumbled, spiling the box's contents to the ground loudly.

 **CRASH!**

"Camembert croustillant avec des croûtons sur le dessus!" she cried in frustration as she clutched onto her foot.

"Colette, are you okay?" asked Violet, she and Seba helping her up.

"No, I am not okay. Nothing is okay!" Colette said under her breath, holding back tears. "I twisted my ankle! Ouch!"

"Okay, sit down for a minute," Seba said. "I'm going to try and relocate your ankle. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, okay? This might sting a little. Violet, I need you to hold Colette's paw."

Colette looked hesitant, but nodded as she did what she was advised. Seba held onto Colette's foot while Violet held onto her paw. The human gently rubbed the part to find the pain. When he saw her wince, Seba had found it. Colette trusted him. Maybe this wasn't so bad. He probably knew what he was doing-

 **CRACK!**

"YEOOOOW!" Colette howled in pain, tears streaming down her face. Violet's eye twitched as she could feel her paw being crushed.

"Try move your ankle around now." Seba said as he let go. She did. It didn't hurt as much, but she could move her foot freely.

"I feel better now," Colette said as she got up and hugged Seba. "Thanks."

When she let go of the hug, she smacked his arm.

"Hey! What's that for?" Seba asked, indignant.

"That is for not telling me that you were going to do that!" Colette exclaimed as she gave the human an earful. Violet was still rubbing her paw from such a bone-crushing squeeze and glaring at Seba. He could have told her!

Meanwhile, Paulina was frantically tinkering with her MousePhone. The red dot had disappeared from the screen. "I don't know where the thief went!" she whispered.

"Let's try this door," said Nicky. "It looks like the only way out, other than the way we came in."

They left the room and entered a dimly lit corridor, which led to a wooden staircase. From there, they found themselves onstage, behind the curtains. Seba and the mouselings grabbed one another's paws and held on tightly, with the human holding onto Julie's.

"Here it is! It's come back!" exclaimed Paulina, pointing to the red dot, which had reappeared on the MousePhone.

"We're back on track." Seba declared.

"Do you know where the thief is?" asked Colette.

Paulina was having a hard time figuring it out. The theater's floor plan was very complex, with all its hallways, passages, twisting stairs and storage areas.

However something was off. They were almost in the exact spot they were standing in.

"I'm not sure, but it seems like..." she said as her eyes squinted. "Maybe..." she trailed off. "Well, I think he's right underneath us!"

Seba looked down at his feet. "Shit."

 **CRACK!**

At that moment, a trapdoor burst open under their paws. Everyone fell.

 **"HELLLLLLLP!"** the mouselings yelled at the top of their lungs.

 **"AAAAAARGH!"** Seba screamed as he covered his eyes.

They all landed on top of a pile of fabric, blankets and mattresses.

"Well, that was lucky." Pam said.

"You call that lucky?" Nicky questioned, rubbing her sore tail. "Squeak for yourself! This thief is making me madder than a cat with a bad case of fleas!"

Seba slowly got up and looked up at the hole. "There was a ladder the entire time." True to his word, a ladder was standing next to the hole like it had been already there.

Everyone scowled.

After they'd recovered from the shock of their fall, they untangled themselves from the scraps of fabric that had cushioned them.

The mouselings and human waited until their eyes grew accustomed to the dark room around them, then began to search for a way out.

"I swear, we should've brought flashlights. Two dark rooms is not enough to deal with this adventure." Seba grumbled, still feeling the after effect of that fall.

After a moment, Pamela found a door.

She jiggled the handle. "It's locked. Does anyone have any idea how to open it?"

Seba placed his foot on the door and gave a bang.

"It's tight," Seba remarked. "We're gonna need more than just raw strength."

Everyone looked around. The room was filled with a lot of equipment.

Nicky grabbed an iron rod. "Maybe we can use this to bust open the door. It doesn't seem very thick."

It was harder than they'd thought. But after a few minutes of pushing, Nicky, Pam, Violet and Seba managed to break the lock.

The door opened onto the same dimly lit hallway they had been in before.

"Damn it!" Seba growled. "We're back where we started!"

"Wait!" cried Paulina suddenly, holding them back. "The red dot is back! I couldn't get a signal in the storage room, but out here I can track the thief again."

"Where is the thief exactly?" Colette asked Paulina.

"Hes climbing the stairs!" she answered.

Julie nodded. "Yes! There is a staircase that leads to the costume storage room! I've been there before. Professor Le Blanc took us to see it on a field trip. Come on, it is this way!"

They climbed up the spiral staircase as quietly as possible.

There was a sudden noise from above. They stopped short.

"Those must be the pawsteps of the thief!" Colette whispered.

"He's due for a buttkicking!" Seba snarled, rolling up his sleeves.

Julie had reached the landing. The door at the top stood slightly ajar, and the room on the side side was lit up.

Julie peeked inside, opening the door slowly so as not to be seen. However, who she saw had shocked her.

"Professor Le Blanc!" she shouted in surprise.

It was really him, her kindest professor, the one who had tried to encourage her during the most difficult moments of the past few days!

In one paw, he held Colette's shawl. In the other, he was holding a strange patchwork quilt. It was made of many pieces of fabric all sewn together.

Seba shivered. 'If those pieces of fabric were made of skin, this would be one of the most creepiest things I've ever seen in my entire life.' He towards Julie and frowned.

She was frozen in the doorway. She couldn't believe her eyes.

The professor didn't even try to defend himself. He just lowered his gaze and turned red with shame.

"I am sorry, Julie!" he said. "I have been terrible. I ruined your work!"

"Oh, nooooo!" groaned Colette.

The professor didn't have a patchwork quilt in his paws. He was holding Julie's collection! It was cut into pieces and patched together to create a treasure map!

Seba's eyes grew with rage. Before he could storm towards the professor, Julie placed a paw on his shoulder. He looked at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. Sighing, he dropped it for now.

"I should pound you really bad for breaking your student's trust. But let's hear your side of the story." Seba said as he folded his arms.

"I am so ashamed!" the professor said, hanging his snout. "For years, I have searched for that map; it had become an obsession."

"But why?" asked Julie in a high voice. "Why is that map so important?"

Professor Le Blanc didn't have the courage to look Julie in the eye. "Do you remember my lecture about Pierre-Mouseon Fabricon?"

"Who's he?" asked Pamela.

"He was a great fashion designer from the nineteenth century," Julie explained.

"The greatest!" Professor Le Blanc excalimed, correction her. "He was a true genius!"

Talking about his obsession seemed to revive the professor. He launched into a history of Pierre-Mouseon Fabricons career.

"For years, I have studied Fabricon's sketches, trying to discover the secret of his spectacular and sophisticated clothing!" said Professor Le Blanc. "Fabricon was a genius. He created the most gorgeous gowns for the divas of the opera. And he also created special looms on which he could weave uniquely light fabrics to create pieces that became legendary for their beauty!"

The professor lowered his voice. "But here is the terrible thing: Nothing that Fabricon made still exists. Nothing!"

Seba and the Thea Sisters stared at him in bewilderment. They were still angry, but they were starting to feel curious too.

"Why?" asked Pam. "Were his gowns destroyed somehow?"

"They were hidden!" the professor said. "They are hidden here, in this theater, but no one knows where!"

"But now you know, right professor?" said Violet, pointing to the multicolored map made from Julie's clothes. "Now you have the treasure map you've been searching for!"

Professor Le Blanc spread the patchwork cloth across the table. One piece was still missing: Colette's shawl.

"Fabricon created extraordinary evening gowns and stage costumes," the professor said. "The greatest singers in the world turned to him. He only made one-of-a-kind pieces, from precious materials and fabrics that he wove himself! He was very protective of his work. He had a workshop here, in this theater. No one was allowed in. That is how he protected his creations.

"I'll bet Fabricon did not leave anything behind," Pam said. "So his work disappeared with him, right?"

The professor nodded. "Yes, his work disappeared with him. But he left a map."

"Julie's map!" exclaimed Paulina.

"A map that could be used to find his works. I have searched for it for so long!" the professor lamented. He turned to Julie. "That day at the used-book stand, I was there, too. I had just found the right book, with the map inside it. I had my eye on it when you came along and took it away! Of course, you had no idea of its significance. But at that moment, it was like seeing years of my research go up in smoke."

A silence fell over the costume storage room. Everyone's eyes were glued to the multicolored fabric that extended across the table: a strange map made of cut-up fabrics that led to a treasure of clothing.

"We came this far..." Seba remarked, gently touching the fabric.

"So what are we waiting for?" Pamela blurted out. She couldn't stand sitting around doing nothing. "Let's look for the secret room!"

With that, Julie grabbed Colette's shawl and spread it out so that it matched up with the design on the map.

"Now it is complete!" she said, examining it carefully.

The professor ran his paws along the fabric, recognizing the rooms and corridors of the theater. "The foyer, the stage, the rehearsal room, the dressing rooms..." he murmured.

"Excuse me, but why don't we try doing this with the actual floor plan?" Paulina suggested, holding up her MousePhone.

"I do not think we will need it," said Colette.

"I think the floor plan you have is based on the modern version of the opera house." Seba added.

"Besides," Colette continued as she pointed to a strange symbol on the map. "Look at this. It is mixed in with all the other notes on the map, but it is not a door or a room."

"What is it?" asked Nicky. She was on the other side of the table, so she could see the symbol only upside down.

"It looks like initials," said Colette.

"Yeah, they're both in capital letters." Seba observed.

"A P and an F put together!" said Julie.

"Those are Pierre-Mouseon Fabricon's initials!" the professor exclaimed.

"That must mean that his workshop is there." Seba concluded.

* * *

The professor knew the theater well. He led the little group to a long and narrow room with a very high ceiling. It was the storage room for old backdrops and plaster statues.

A dusty light filtered in from a dormer window. There were no doors other than the one they had used to enter.

"It is a dead end!" said Julie, disappointed.

At that moment, Pam let out a high-pitch squeak.

 **"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"**

She had seen a spider on the ground. Pam was terrified of bugs of all kinds.

Her scream made everyone jump in fright, including the spider. Before Seba could react, the insectophobiac jumped into his arms once again, shaking in terror.

"Is this gonna be Mystery Inc. version 2 all over again?" Seba grumbled.

The small, scared arthropod hid behind a huge plaster sphinx leaning against one wall.

Professor Le Blanc checked the map. "The treasure, or rather, Pierre-Mouseon Fabricon's secret room, should be hidden here, right behind the plaster sphinx!"

The professor rolled up his sleeves and began pushing the statue. But it seemed to be nailed to the ground.

Nicky and Paulina came to his aid, as did everyone else. Who knew how long it had been since the sphinx had been moved!

"Cheesecake! This thing is heavier than a boulder covered with moldy cheese!" cried Nicky.

Very slowly, the statue began to budge. As it did, the spider disappeared into a crack between the wall and the floor. A stream of light came from below.

The wall was made of wood, and it was hiding a closed door with a rusty lock.

"Almost there..." Seba said in a strained voice.

With one more determined shove, the door burst open.

 **CRACK!**

Concealed behind a thick curtain of spiderwebs, a vast two-story room lay before them. In the middle was a long table with two paper patterns lying open, ready to be used. On the side was a big loom, and around it were small mannequins dressed in different types of costumes. A thick layer of dust covered everything.

Was this the treasure Professor Le Blanc had been looking for?

Seba had a bad feeling. Taking out his phone, he began to take pictures of the outfits.

Professor Le Blanc couldn't believe his eyes: In front of him was the treasure he had been chasing for many years. He hesitated for a moment, then approached a mannequin. He recognized the costume instantly: It was from the Semiramide! There wasn't a single book about the history of fashion that didn't mention it! "Light as the wings of a butterfly, sparkling with silk and strings of gold laced together." That was how newspapers of the day had described it.

Professor Le Blanc extended his paw to wipe some dust off the sleeve. But as soon as his giners touched the fabric, the delicate lace began to crumble.

 **"NOOOOOOOOOO!"** cried the professor.

More than a century of neglect had yellowed the fabric, faded the colors, corroded the stitching and deprived the lavish dressed in the room of their splendor.

Julie examined the loom Frabricon had used to create his precious fabrics. The equipment seemed to be in good shape.

But Seba and the Thea Sisters looked around in despair. Everyone's thoughts could be summed up in three words: What a disappointment!

Pamela didn't want to believe it. She ran up some stairs that led to a loft. There were closets up there. Surely they must hold some precious objects.

She opened the first one and...

 **"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"**

She was overwhelmed by a cloud of moths. The closets had been invaded by the insects! Whatever clothing or fabric they had once held had long been destroyed.

"It is all lost! Lost!" lamented the professor.

Colette lost her patience. "Easy for you to squeak!" she said, wagging a finger at him. "Fabricon's clothes were destroyed by moths, but Julie's clothes were destroyed by you!"

The professor staggered under the weight of her accusation as she began to rant in French.

It was Julie who consoled him. "It is okay, Professor. It does not matter! Discovering Fabricon's workshop is still an important milestone in the history of fashion. And the loom is still intact."

Colette and Seba, however, were not as forgiving.

"It is not enough! Your professor is a thief! He ruined your fashion show!" Colette yelled.

"But Colette..." Julie began.

Seba cut in, though had his temper cooled down. "She's right. Your professor not only broke your trust, but he's ruined your collection. The very same one you've put your sweat and tears into."

Professor Le Blanc stepped forward. "Both of them are right. I behaved terribly. And I am most ashamed at having betrayed your trust, Julie."

"That is more like it!" Colette declared. "But I do not think the police are interested in your betrayal of trust! Being sorry is important, but Julie cannot send an apology down the ratwalk!"

"Like you said, any industry can be very harsh and unforgiving." Seba said, a smirk grew on his face. "But I think I know how you could really make it up to her."

"What do you suggest?" asked Pam, who was still trying to shake the moths from her fur.

"Well, time is short, but I am certain that the professor is a great tailor, and probably a really fast one!" exclaimed Colette with a sly smile. "So let us start the treasure hunt back up! What do you say, professor? Do you not want to help?"

The professor nodded slowly. They could tell that he was heartbroken with disappointment, but it was clear he wanted to make up for the problems he had caused Julie.

"Alright, then!" declared Colette. "Let us scurry back to the academy. We have got lots to do. Let us make it work, mouselings!"

"Ahem." Seba muttered with a raised eyebrow.

"And human."

Said human nodded.

* * *

A few days later, the night of the fashion show arrived. The sky was calm, but the atmosphere was electric! The space under the Eiffel Tower had been transformed by a catwalk, spotlights, flowers, carpets, steps, chairs for the guests and reserved areas for the workers. Journalists and photographers from the most famous fashion magazines had come to see the new designers' work.

Julie's name appeared in the program, next to the name of her collection: Treasure Hunt. But no onw hS AWWN HWE eeicw.

One after the other, the new graduates presented their creations.

Wei and Mei's paper clothes sparked a lot of curiosity. but Fernando's metallic designs got more applause. Leon Paella's sparkly robots were beginning their strut down the catwalk when there was a fuss behind the curtains.

A small truck sped to the backstage area and out stepped...

"Julie?!" exclaimed Wanda in disbelief.

Julie looked pale and tense, as if she hadn't gotten any sleep in a while. Her classmates gathered around her and bombarded her with questions.

"Did they catch the thief?"

"Will you be showing your work?"

"Did you get your clothes back?"

"Not exactly," Julie replied to the last one. "But I am ready to show my stuff tonight!"

The other students in her class gathered around and hugged her.

"Good for you, Julie!"

"You are so brave!"

"Break a paw!""

They hadn't stopped cheering her on when her name was called on the catwalk.

Soon all the spotlights were on Julie.

Nervously, Julie took her place behind the microphone.

"My collection is called Treasure Hunt," she began. As she spoke, the music began to play. Surprise, Pamela appeared on the catwalk!

"Pamela is wearing a piece called Africa," Julie continued. "Traditional jewelry completes her look."

Pamela walked a little awkwardly, but she had a huge smile on her snout. Then it was Nicky's turn.

"Nicky is wearing Australia, with top a top and gloves made of chiffon," Julie anounced. "While Paulina..."

At that moment, Paulina emerged from behind the curtains.

"...is wearing a number called South America, with a high collar made of taffeta."

Then it was Violet's turn. "Violet is wearing Asia, a silk dress with a rhinestone belt around her hips."

Then came in Seba. "My special guest model, Sebastian Silverstone himself, is wearing North America, a suit made from cashmere along with a necktie and fedora." The human's name had caught the attention of the journalists. They didn't expect that the author of Black Wings to appear on the catwalk. Not only did the classy-looking suit not only gain looks of awe, but Seba had exuded an untapped aura of confidence that the Thea Sisters haven't seen before.

"And finally, we have Europe, also known as 'Paris Nights'..." Julie continued.

Colette came out. She was dressed in pink from snout to paw. And she was stunning!

The crowd gave Julie's collection a standing ovation. They rose to their paws, clapping as hard as they could.

Professor Le Blanc, who was watching from the front row, smiled at Julie. He had ruined her collection, but it was thanks to his help that Julie was able to sew new clothes. And they were even more beautiful than the originals!

Julie had used scraps from the first collection, but the fabric and the printed designs were different. Each piece represented a map of the continent where both Seba and each of the Thea Sisters were born.

Julie concluded her presentation. "I called this collection Treasure Hunt because it contains the most precious treasure of all: Friendship! These six come from six different continents and they love each other like siblings! Friendship is the most valuable treasure, because it can unite people from all over the world!"

At that point, the audience burst into applause again. Even Julie's classmates joined in, moved by her speech.

Julie ran to hug her friends. "Thanks, Colette! Thanks, Seba! Thanks, mouselings! I do not know what I would have done without you!"

"Friends together! Mice forever!" Nicky cried.

"Or friendship is magic! Because our friendships are what make this night magical." Seba added. All of them nodded in agreement.

Professor Le Blanc approached Julie, embarrassed. "I wanted you to know that I am turning myself to the police. What I did was wrong. Can you ever forgive me?"

Julie smiled and squeezed the professor's paw. "All is forgiven! Plus look! My collection is even more amazing than before, because it was made with love!"

There was no doubt: Julie was the true winner of the fashion show!


	10. A Date in Paris

**A Date in Paris:**

Seba was getting dressed up nicely as he was preparing for a date. His hair was helped back spiky, yet a strand of hair was sticking out. He was wearing a white dress shirt and a black leather jacket that match his jeans. His shoes and necktie were also black. Plus, his stud was visible on his left ear.

"Oh, one more thing," Seba muttered as he took a cologne bottle to spray himself with it. "There we go!"

"It seems that you are getting dressed up," a voice said. Seba turned around to see Colette with a huge smile on her face. "You never get dressed up like this. That must mean that you are going on a date!"

"Yeah, let the whole world know about it, will you?" The human snarked.

"Did someone say date?" Pamela's voice rang out as she and Nicky popped out.

"Lookin' good, Seba!" Nicky exclaimed with a thumbs up.

"What is going on here?" Violet questioned as she and Paulina walked in to the commotion.

Seba facepalmed. "Me and my big mouth."

"Seba is going on a date!" Colette squealed. "Ooh, I wonder who the lucky mouseling is!"

"She must be a real beauty!" Pam exclaimed, chewing on a cheese baguette.

"Who is he going out with?" Paulina asked. She had never been on a date before.

"Seba, are you ready?"

Everyone turned to see Julie...and dropped their jaws. Julie wore a really slim sky blue dress that brought out her beauty even more. Her make-up was light yet it still accentuated as such.

"Sure, Julie. Let's go," Seba answered as he locked in with Julie's arm as they left the apartment.

Once they left, everyone's jaws had dropped to the floor. They could not comprehend what just happened.

 _ **"WHAT?!"**_

 **XXX**

"This is the first time I've ever been on a moped," Seba remarked as he sat behind Julie. Both of them were on their way to a restaurant.

"Enjoy the ride?" Julie asked.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Though, it feels quite different from a motorcycle."

"While motorcycles are meant for speed, mopeds allow you to feel the breeze and take in the scenery," she explained the difference.

Well that explains the slowness. Still, it was no less enjoyable.

 **XXX**

"I don't we should be spying on them," Violet muttered.

"But we must!" Colette exclaimed. "Julie is my cousin and Seba is our friend. I cannot shudder the thought of their date ending in heartbreak!"

"Maybe it's only a friendly date," Paulina reasoned.

"But this is Paris! The city of romance!" The fashionista shot back in worry. "And if they were to become lovers, then such a long distance to could hurt both of them!"

The rest of the Thea Sisters could only look at each other. With of sigh, they sagged their shoulders in defeat.

"Fine, we'll keep an eye on them," Nicky conceded.

"On the plus side, the restaurant they're going to must have really delicious food!" Pamela brightened at that.

 **XXX**

The restaurant was a five-star one as the mouselings spotted Seba and Julie in one of the tables. Many other mice were looking at the human in amazement and bewilderment. However, both of them did not care in the slightest as the only ones that mattered were each other.

"Let's find a table and get something to eat," Pamela suggested. "I'm really starving."

Nodding to each other, they put on their disguises and went to get a table at the host.

Seba gave the entrance a glance and frowned before hiding it with a smirk.

Once they got a table, the mouselings saw Julie giggling at something that Seba might have said to be a joke.

"I never knew that you had that kind of humor," Julie commented.

"Believe me, people say that I'm quite sardonic," Seba remarked before digging into his escargot. "This is pretty delicious."

"Seba, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Seba looked at her.

"When my work was stolen, you were the most passionate of helping to find it," Julie looked at him. "We have only met recently and you were as determined as Colette, which slightly surprised me."

"It had made me wonder if you went through the same event like that before," she concluded.

Seba smiled. "You got me there."

Julie frowned. She hit the nail on the coffin with that hypothesis.

"I actually know what it's like to have your work stolen for any kind of reason," he said as he idly played with his food, using his fork. "At least you both reconciled after that."

She looked at him. "And you didn't?"

He shook his head. "My ex-partner refused to do so. He still blames me for everything."

"Why would he blame you?" she wondered, looking confused.

"Well, I better start from the top," Seba muttered, feeling dread as he relieved his memories.

"I guess when I was a novice graphic novelist, me and my partner were collaborating on a series of comics for the school newspaper. Soon, a big publishing company wanted us to work for them. However, they only wanted one of us."

His face turned grim.

"Me and my partner went on to work on our own submissions for our own comics. That's when things got as rotten as cheese."

Seba was scowling. The days that Julie had known him, she thought of how relaxed and easygoing he was. To see him frown was rather startling to say the least.

"You know how there are four weeks in a month?" Seba asked. Julie nodded. "My partner told me that we had to submit our work in to the company by the end of the fourth week."

"He lied. Not only was it due on the middle of the third week, but he also stole my work."

Julie gasped. "That is horrible!"

He nodded solemnly. "In the end, he won not only the offer but also the rights to the comic series. So I decided to do after moving on."

"And what is that?" she asked.

"Start a new chapter," Seba answered. "While my ex-partner had quit the school newspaper to work part-time for his new company, I eventually went on to work on a new series. Eventually, one of the students was related to a magazine publishing employee and told about me."

"They wanted me a guest spot on one of their daily pages and I accepted," he continued. "While it was a one-time deal and the pay was good, I earned myself a reputation afterwards."

"So what happened to your former partner?" Julie asked.

He sighed as he sat back.

"The series tanked and he was out of the job. He wasn't able to get his old position back and held a grudge towards me for taking it from him."

"What a hypocrite!" Julie scowled. Such a nerve to accuse him!

Seba shrugged. "It went on until high school graduation. Once I was out of school, I went freelance to work for commissions until I was accepted by Mouseford Academy to take the entrance exams."

Then, he was in thought. "Maybe if all of that never happened, I wouldn't have met the Thea Sisters and you."

She smiled. "I am glad that you have met my cousin and her friends."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm a realist," Seba affirmed. "But it feels nice and refreshing to have friends like them. I feel...some sort of lightness when I'm around them."

"Happiness?" Julie guessed.

"Is that what it's called?" Seba questioned with an eyebrow raised. "Whatever it is, I like it."

She giggled at how accepting he was.

Seba looked over and saw that the sisters were already gone. They probably heard everything, so he was glad that he didn't have to repeat again.

 **XXX**

Colette was crying at such a tragic story as she and her friends were back at the apartment.

"It is still a wonder that Seba could still be smiling after that," she said, blowing her snout into the handkerchief.

"There, there," Pamela said, gently calming her friend down. "It all worked out in the end, right?"

"Still, I can't believe someone would backstab him like that," Paulina muttered in disbelief.

"And yet, he managed to keep going strong," Violet added.

"We can't do anything about his past," Nicky said. "But what we can do is support him now as friends."

Each one of the Thea Sisters nodded in agreement, immediately forgetting the main purpose of the spy mission.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of an engine from outside the window. Paulina looked out of the window.

"They're back!" she exclaimed to them.

 **XXX**

"Tonight's date was pretty fun," Seba said as they walked to the door.

"It was," Julie agreed with a smile. "Seba, about us..."

"I know that a long-distance relationship might not work between us," she said, worried that this might hurt between them. "But I was hoping that we could still be friends even after you return to Mouseford."

"Sure," Seba replied. "I know that it wouldn't work out between us, but meeting you is really awesome."

Julie smiled as she hugged him, one which Seba himself returned.

"I hope that I meet someone like you one day," she said.

"You will," he assured. "Maybe even better."

She shook her head. "Do not put yourself down like that. You are one of the nicest guys I have ever met."

He smiled as they entered the apartment. "We're...back?"

The couple were baffled to see the Thea Sisters waiting for them, forced grins plastered on them.

"Welcome back!" Colette was the first to greet her. "So how was your date?"

Colette, Violet and Paulina went to talk to Julie while Pamela and Nicky stayed back with Seba. This was going to be a long night.

 **XXX**

It was time to return to Mouseford, as Julie was saying her goodbyes to Seba and the Thea Sisters. Colette was glad that they were still friends despite not getting together.

"Will you be coming back on the next visit?" Julie asked.

"Of course!" Colette confirmed. "We would not want to miss your first ever exhibit!"

She smiled as she gave her cousin kisses on the cheeks. Julie went on to do the same to the rest of her friends. Once she reached Seba, however...

 ** _SMOOCH!_**

Julie gave him a huge kiss. On the lips! Seba's eyes went wide, though he didn't resist. The Thea Sisters' jaws dropped in shock to see them kiss.

Julie had let go with a smile. "You better be off now! You might miss your plane."

Violet was the first to step out of her stupor. "R-right! C'mon, girls!"

The sisters pulled Colette and Seba as they walked towards the entry.

Julie giggled as she waved goodbye to them. Once they went into the plane, she turned to walk away with a blush.

 **XXX**

Seba sighed as he took his seat, still feeling overwhelmed by the kiss.

"Oh, Seba~"

Slowly, he turned to see Colette give him a dangerous smile.

"Care to explain what was that just now?"

He noticed that the rest of the Thea Sisters were staring at him in curiosity.

 _'Oh, boy...'_ he thought.


End file.
